


His Queen

by VestalDestroyer



Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: (this tag is too accurate), Action, Alien Culture, Alien Technology, Canon Compliant, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Fluff, Genderswap, Headcanon, I gave Spectra a split personality, It will be long, Kinda, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Not Really Character Death, Politics, Psychology, Science, Science Boyfriends, Sorry Not Sorry, basically this is just me explaining what the show did not, enjoy, i am not sure myself how long, i guess, so just, this fandom is dead anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2019-08-06 22:29:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 82,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16396292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VestalDestroyer/pseuds/VestalDestroyer
Summary: The story of what happened behind the scenes of the episodes of Bakugan Battle Brawlers: New Vestroia and after them.I focus mostly on Gus and Spectra, but I include others too. I am trying to create a solid headcanon that will give all of us what the show  (with its horrible writing) did not. It is not just romance and fluff, I also try to explain Spectra's and Gus' way of thinking behind their seemingly nonsensical decisions in the story.This fic is being rewritten right now. So far, chapters 1-5 are done.





	1. Meeting with Reality

_'I had nowhere left to go. I was beaten and broken. I asked for a sign. I did not expect an answer. I was talking to a picture in the backstage of Beta Arena. Why was I talking to a picture in the first place? This photo of Pyrus Viper Helios had captivated me the first time I entered this arena. To me, it was a representation of my dream. But that day, my dreams were shattered into pieces._

_Spectra was absolutely right. I was completely outclassed by his power. I lost the battle and my life lost its meaning. I asked for a sign. I needed a new goal. I saw something. Was it real? Or was I just seeing things? The eyes were shining!'_

_"So, you see it too, do you?" Gus heard a voice behind him. It startled him, he did not notice anyone approaching. But he was not afraid. It felt like his entire self was being pulled towards that person._

_"Yes," he breathed and turned around. He could not believe his eyes. It was him. His dream, his goal. His idol. Spectra Phantom. He was really there, standing in front of him, way closer than he ever dared to imagine him to be._

_Even outside of battle, with his frightening Bakugan and all of his ruthless tactics aside, anyone could tell that Spectra was very, very dangerous. But surprisingly, and despite the fact that he mercilessly crushed him and his Bakugan in the arena just a few moments ago, his presence did not scare Gus in the slightest, quite the contrary. He was attracted to it._

_Spectra extended his hand towards Gus and at that moment, he forgot to breathe. He was overwhelmed by his power. His past flashed in front of his eyes. His parents, his school, his career, everything he abandoned in order to follow his dream, which Spectra burned to ashes in a few minutes. But now, all of that was gone and from those ashes arose his future._

_"You have been chosen! Join me and we will fight for a new world, Gus! Together we will remake New Vestroia!" Gus wanted to accept his hand. Never in his life has he wanted anything so desperately. But he could not move his body._

_Spectra interpreted his lack of response as hesitation, so he made a final appeal. "What shall it be, Gus? Do you dare grab the future for your own?" Gus dropped on his knees._

_'I was a fool to hope I could ever be his equal. He was unreachable._

_I made a decision to follow him, not because I was seeking power or glory, but simply because I wanted to make all of his goals come true. I wanted him to look at me. I wanted him to acknowledge me. I wanted him to trust me.'_

_He bowed his head and pledged his loyalty to Spectra silently. He did not say a word, but his new master understood._

_'From that moment on, I was committed to master Spectra and his vision of united New Vestroia. Bakugan battles were no longer just a game to me, but a means to a very important end. With each battle, I would help build a world more beautiful and powerful than ever imagined. Together with master Spectra, anything is possible.'_

#### Episode 57 - Taste of Defeat

When Gus entered the meeting room in Beta City, the other members of the Vexos were already there. Except for Spectra, of course. He usually only attended the meetings he called himself, the rest was of less importance to him. That was just who he was. If Hydron found out, he could get into serious trouble, which is why Gus respected this part of him a lot. His master always had the courage to resist the higher-ups, be it prince Hydron, or even the king himself. 

Since Gus was the one calling the meeting and Spectra was absent, it was up to him to lead it. He made sure his step is even, his posture evokes respect and his voice is calm and as emotionless as possible.

"Thank you for meeting here on such short notice."

"Yeah, yeah, cut to the chase!" Lync was more annoyed than usual since he was just about to go to sleep when the meeting interrupted him. 

"All I can say is, this better be important!" Shadow shot his weak threat towards Gus. The timing was unfortunate even for him and Mylene because they sleep this early in the morning (like any normal person should, in their opinion).

"I am sure Gus has a good reason, right Gus?" Mylene's threatening tone was a bit scary, especially since her make-up was put on very hurriedly and she had yesterday's eyeliner still smudged under her eyes. "Why have you dragged us here?" Everyone could hear the eloquent _'this early'_ she was implying. 

Just like Volt, Gus did not feel the need to respond to their obvious annoyance. He was used to the animosity the Vexos expressed towards him and his master, and he did not hesitate to support it by waking all of them up at 6:30 am just to laugh at them.

"You should know. You are here because all of you have failed," he smirked.

\---

Spectra was just heading to talk to the arena staff when he overheard a conversation in the meeting room. He did recall Gus calling a meeting a few minutes ago, but he was not really interested until he heard Gus introduce the topic.

"What do you mean by that, freak?" Shadow screeched.

"As I have said," Gus answered calmly.

"You're asking for it!"

From the mocking tone, Spectra immediately understood that he was trying to force the Vexos into better performance by making fun of them, which was not a bad idea. Spectra had to appreciate the creativity of his... _friend? servant? Ugh, whatever. A thinking topic for later. For now, just focus on the meeting._

\---

Spectra entered the room and Gus had to smile, despite the confusion he felt. _Spectra is attending his meeting!_

"Gus means that from now on, we cannot afford to lose another battle." Gus was really glad to receive Spectra's support. His presence was enough to get the Vexos' full attention. With his firm voice, he was as fearsome as ever. 

"Next time I'll demolish them before they load their gauntlets," Shadow opposed, but it sounded pathetic. Lync strengthened this impression.

"Didn't you lose three Bakugan to them?"

"What's your point?" Shadow wanted to continue arguing, but Mylene cut both of them off.

"Stop bickering, you fools!"

"That's it!" Spectra made them all shut up. In the following silence, Gus saw an opportunity he could not afford to miss.

"If I may speak, master Spectra," he started cautiously with a slight bow of his head. He did not want to anger him any further. As his master's eyes pierced his forehead, he felt very satisfied that all of his attention is directed towards him.

"Go ahead, Gus," Spectra nodded.

"Please allow me to go next." With all the strength he had, Gus forced himself to look directly into Spectra's eyes. "I will prove to you that this upstart Brawler Resistance can be beaten." He felt nothing but pride when his master gave him an affirmative nod and left. The faith he had in him was the best reward he could get for the years of service. 

Everyone left the meeting room and got back to their work, annoyed that this meeting turned out to be yet another display of power by Spectra and his pet.

\---

Vexos were currently staying in Beta City, while the Resistance was in the surroundings of Alpha. That was a bother for Gus, having to fly so far just to have a little chat with Dan, but he needed to ensure his victory. While the ship was recharging, he was just walking through the Beta Arena. He hated that place, it was filled with memories of his past. But since they were staying in Beta until tomorrow, the arena was their temporary headquarters. Luckily, they will be able to go back to their normal station soon.

He did not expect to find Spectra in front of the Helios portrait.

"You are back. What did you find out from your encounter with the resistance?" Spectra asked, his eyes not leaving the wall. Gus was quite sure he was just being polite, and the hint of curiosity he heard was just his imagination.

"Their newest battle brawler is nothing more than an amateur," he answered as neutrally as a proper servant should. _'I tried to mess with his mind a little, but he was too stupid to get it,'_ is what Gus meant to say, but it would sound pathetic if master found out that one of his best skills he was quite proud of did not work.

"Be careful, Gus, do not underestimate Dan Kuso," Spectra warned, but Gus sensed that he was implying something else. _Did he actually care for Gus? No, he just hates to lose._

"He is nothing but a child," Gus assured him.

"He may prove to be our greatest opponent," Spectra smirked and Gus immediately understood what he meant by that.

"Then it is also possible that he could prove to be our greatest ally. You and only you can bring our worlds together, I will make them understand," he promised and smiled a little for himself when he saw his master nod in approval.

\---

Spectra then turned around and left. There was no need to answer, Gus had basically just read his mind and gave himself the orders. It was always like this. He always knew what Spectra wanted and did not hesitate to do anything to fulfill his wishes. 

He also had a special ability to get into someone's mind and twist it to his own liking, which Spectra greatly appreciated. It was a big help when Gus defeated their opponent like this before the battle even started. 

Despite him having a sneaky skill like that, he would never use it on Spectra. When they were together, he was polite, yet honest and straightforward, which Spectra valued a lot. Usually, people would never let their guard down in his presence, but Gus did, always and automatically, like it was a completely natural thing to do. The relationship between them grew a lot stronger as of lately, since their goal seemed to get closer. They had to stick together in order to prevent any intrusions from both prince Hydron and the Vexos. 

Spectra realized that his thoughts were on Gus once again. This happened way too often recently. His mind showed him a memory of the day he met Gus for the first time. 

He caught his interest already when he first heard of him. Gus Grav, a rising star from Beta City, a Subterra brawler who miraculously defeated all of his opponents so far and earned the right to face a Vexos member. Since he had just recently scouted a Haos and a Ventus brawler for the Vexos, Subterra was the only missing attribute in his team, so he decided to take on this challenger by himself.

The first impression was nothing much. A cute young boy, apparently from a good family. He thought the name Grav sounded familiar, he just could not remember where he heard it. The only thing that caught the eye was his waist-long wavy blue hair that made him look more like a girl.

Despite his appearance, he was strong enough to withstand his first few attacks without a scratch. That was something, even though Spectra was just playing around. He was focused on the battlefield and his counterattacks were elaborate and thoroughly planned. He was still new to this, but he had a natural talent to predict his opponent's moves and was using it subconsciously. There was something in the way he battled Spectra could completely feel with because he was the same: This boy was not fighting just for fun. There was a bigger purpose behind it. He wanted to prove something to somebody. Maybe to himself.

Spectra remembered clearly how the crowd cheered when Vulcan shielded yet another attack and countered with a precise punch into Helios' stomach. Of course, he did not land it. So far, Helios managed to defend himself against all of his attacks as well. They were both standing there as if the battle had yet to start. Spectra decided to get serious.

 _'Let's see if you can handle this!'_ was what crossed his mind as he activated a triple ability. Vulcan flew away and was defeated, but the crowd was silent. It did not feel like a victory at all to Spectra, however, Gus seemed to have his world crumble apart in front of his eyes as he left the arena.

It was not pity that made Spectra want to have this young man by his side. He decided so already halfway through the battle because of the skill he showed. It was raw and uncultivated, but Spectra knew that once it is polished, he would not want Gus to be his opponent. 

He did not know why he could not just offer him a place in the Vexos as he did with Volt and Lync. He always followed his instincts rather than his brain, since that has failed him multiple times in the past. But when he saw the admiration, respect, commitment and devotion in Gus' eyes as he knelt in front of him, he was glad he said what he did. 

Now that he was looking back at this moment, he saw that there was something more than gaining a powerful ally that made him want to have Gus follow him. He decided he will find out what his relationship with Gus is, so he tried to sum up his feelings towards him as he headed for the training room. He knew Gus will take his time to slowly and painfully crush the resistance while taking control over their minds, and he decided to work out in the meantime because he had nothing better to do and he needed to do his daily workout anyway. He locked the door behind himself. 

_'Gus is my best servant,'_ thought Spectra and took off his coat, folding it carefully on an elegant pile at the door along with his shirt and mask. A servant-master relationship was definitely a part of what they shared. But it was by far not all.

 _'He is also my colleague and teammate, and we share a goal. We work together to achieve it,'_ he specified, but this description was not really accurate either. 

_'I like being with him.'_ He admitted, but it was still not enough. He felt like there is more to it.

 _'I like him, he is a friend of mine.'_ No. _'A really good friend, we are very close.'_ Something felt off. They were not exactly what could be described as friends. There was something else between the two of them, something stronger. Something about how he made his days brighter. Something that made him realize that he can feel more emotions than he ever imagined. Something that changed his life forever. Something that made his brain stop. Something that made his heart race every time he saw him. Something that made him want to be together for the rest of their lives.

He started his warm-up. He has to solve this mystery. He relaxed his body as he stretched and tried to think. There was more to it, for sure. Spectra had a feeling that he knew the right word, but he would never admit it to himself. He was afraid of it. The word was heavy and serious, like a thick chain binding you to a huge rock. 

He went on with his training routine, performing every move with his natural grace and precision. Every motion was fluent and coordinated with the others, showing his strength to anyone watching.

On Vestal, they valued this kind of relationship a lot, and they knew that if they feel like this towards someone, either they will be forever with that person or forever alone. It was natural for any young adult to be afraid of it, especially for a free spirit like Spectra, who always thought of himself as emotionless.

He froze as the realisation hit him.

"I love him," he whispered. The words fell out of his mouth like a boulder, followed by immediate denial. He continued his exercise, movements significantly faster, channeling his energy into his surroundings.

No. That is ridiculous. A man could never have this feeling towards another man. Impossible. A proper Vestal would never think about a love relationship other than that between a man and a woman (and that may be one of the reasons for the overpopulation they have). He must have misinterpreted it. There was absolutely no way he, the leader of the Vexos, could fall in love. But deep inside, he knew it was love all along.

Spectra reached for his towel. Naming his feelings did not help at all since he had no idea how to deal with them. He threw the towel against the wall in an attempt to relieve the frustration. He was angry. At himself. For falling in love. And as if it was not bad enough, with a man. And there was no way back.

His gauntlet reported that Gus has returned. Spectra hid his panic and feelings under his mask, got dressed and headed into the main hall. 

\---

"I have brought you victory, my master, as promised," Gus announced as he knelt before Spectra. Did he just seriously say _'my master'_? That must have sounded awfully weird. Why did he say that? He masked his feelings masterly, just like always when Spectra or the Vexos were around.

"Well done, Gus. You have brought pride back to the Vexos." The others were making stupid comments out of envy, but Gus did not care. All that he was interested in was that warm feeling around his heart as his master praised him. What was that?


	2. Noticing Facts

#### Episode 58 - Return of a friend

####  In the evening they had to send a report to the prince. Both Spectra and Gus hated it. They had to do this every day and it was something Hydron came up with just to have the feeling that he is the one in charge and has control over Spectra and the Vexos. "Well okay then. I'm counting on you, Spectra. It would be unwise to disappoint me. I expect to hear good news from you soon." Gus felt horrible. Because his victory was still a failure, master Spectra had to listen to all of this mockery from the child prince. "You spoiled little brat," Spectra whispered angrily after the call ended and perfectly summed up both his and Gus' feelings towards Hydron. "I take complete responsibility, master. My failure has caused you continued disfavor." Gus bowed his head in shame. Master Spectra is going to hate him for this one. He was always afraid that he will make a mistake that will make Spectra never want to trust him ever again, and this was definitely it. "Not so. You accomplished much, Gus." Or not? Was his master really comforting him or was he just imagining it? Gus sighed mentally. No matter how hard he tries, he will never be able to keep up with Spectra's train of thought. His way of thinking was far out of his league. What did he accomplish? What was Spectra referring to? The only answer Gus could think of was the small plan to make the Vexos try harder he attempted today in the morning meeting. "Our spoiled little prince is just throwing a childish tantrum. He wants his new toy." And we need to show the Vexos how it is supposed to be done. Gus realized where his master was going and interrupted cautiously. "Careful, master. You never know who could be listening in on us," he warned. "Let them listen. Come, there is much to do." _(Master Spectra was so brave!)_ "Of course, master Spectra." Back to work. Send a message to Dan and challenge him again tomorrow. This time, he will definitely win and get the Dragonoid. His master will be watching him, so he has to show him how greatly he improved since their first battle. \--- He was doing his best defeating Dan when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He gasped. "I'll handle this, Gus," Spectra said, pushing him aside. This took Gus by surprise. True, he was slightly distracted by Spectra's presence and lost a round, but he was still winning. And he was totally concentrated on the battle and... Who was he even lying to? Slightly distracted? His attention was split between his master and the battlefield so much that he almost spaced out a few times in the second round. "This is my battle!" He said that, but he did not really mind his master taking over. Gus had a lot on his mind right now, so he could not fight properly anyway. _But why was he even distracted?_ No, that was not a question adequate for the situation. More like: _Why did that strange warm feeling return when Spectra touched him? Why did that confident smirk make his heart beat faster?_ He did not understand it. _Spectra was an amazing person, no doubt about that. He was brave and confident, not even the least bit intimidated by any opponent. He was also very intelligent and always found a solution to any problem. He had a goal he was determined to achieve at any cost, and this goal was what Gus admired the most. Spectra was so noble and he cared for the people of Vestal so much, that he decided to sacrifice everything he has to stand up and fight against everything that could be a threat to them. He gathered all lot of power only so that it does not get into wrong hands. But Gus did not pledge his loyalty to him and decided to become a servant because he was afraid of him. He did it because he respected and admired Spectra greatly. He always used to be looked up to, but Spectra was way above him. He wanted to support him, he wanted to be by his side, he wanted him to be free to achieve his goal, he wanted him to be unstoppable. Spectra deserved it. He deserved to have the entire universe on the palm of his hand because then, everything would be perfect. He was perfect. Despite being so far above Gus, Spectra was always considerate and thoughtful towards him. He always found time to explain things to Gus or help him with his researches. It was always something small because he did not want to display weakness to the Vexos, but Gus was always eternally grateful for it anyway. This was how he felt about Spectra. Respect, admiration, gratitude. Or was there something more? \--- _"Gus, you have been working on this for hours. You should get some sleep." Spectra entered his room, placing a glass of water on his desk. "Thank you, master Spectra, but I need to finish this. We are going to need it in the future," Gus answered, bowing his head. "I am going to need you above all else. Take a break, I will finish it," Spectra said, patting Gus on his head and leaving immediately, not even giving Gus an opportunity to reply. As per the order, Gus shut his computer down and went to his bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow._ \--- _No, definitely not. Or was there? Did he...? No way. He does not love master Spectra, does he? He is a man! That is impossible! True, he did think about him a lot. And he was really keen on looking good in front of him. He may have also zoned out a few times when Spectra's face got closer than usual and he could not help but admire his strong jawline, elegant nose, and beautiful smile. But he totally did not wonder about how soft his skin must feel... and how handsome his face must look when the mask is removed... and how would his lips taste if he- What? No! How stupid._ He may have devoted himself to master Spectra, but his feelings have gone too far. This was a huge mistake. He regretted it so much, he just wanted the sand under him to open up and bury him alive. He would deserve it. Falling in love is always life-changing, but in this case in a bad way. It could destroy everything he has worked for. Spectra will probably fire him when he finds out. Would he do that? Gus was not sure. Spectra did value him at least a little, right? Should he leave by himself before Spectra discovers this horrible truth? _No, how silly._ He has to be there for his master. As he promised. Until the end. He will not allow his stupid feelings to stand in the way of his master's goal. But there was one more thing. He also promised to be always honest with his master. He has to tell him. _But is it really necessa-?_ "Burning Dragon plus Burning Tornado and don't forget fusion ability Pyrus Slayer!" Dan's shouting pulled Gus out of his thoughts back to reality. "What the...! That's a triple ability!" Gus ran to help his master. "Bakugan, brawl!" \--- They lost. It was partially because Dan had another brawler by his side and somehow managed to summon the power of the Perfect Core, but mostly because Spectra was distracted. Of course, the Dragonoid had some amazing power and he thought about how he could use it in his favor instead of letting it become a statue for Hydron, but another half of his mind was still spinning around Gus. He found out on their way here how pretty his blue-haired servant actually was and since then, he could not stop watching him. True, when he was battling, he did not seem to be his usual self and it was not a good look on him, but still. If someone told him a few days ago that he would be so attracted to someone, yet alone a man, he would have thrown him out of the window. But right now, he could only think of the sharp curve of Gus' nose, those deep eyes, and exhilarating smile. The way back to Beta City was torture to Spectra. He was afraid that Gus will notice him staring, but he seemed to be lost in his thoughts too. After their ship landed in its destination, Spectra requested an early dinner. He wanted to go to sleep earlier. He validated that decision with his usual statement that the battle was tough and tiring and they have to be ready for tomorrow, purposefully avoiding the fact that their only program was to visit the Alpha Arena to wave the fans. Those were all excuses. He just needed some time to sort his thoughts and that was best done while laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. In the safety of his room, where there was no Gus to distract him. \--- The dinner was filled with a heavy silence, but Gus did not mind, and apparently, neither did his master. He seemed to have a lot on his mind. _'He was probably still thinking about Drago,'_ Gus thought. Even he spent the entire time thinking. He should tell master Spectra how he feels because he has no heart to deny him the truth. He has the right to know. After they both finished eating, Spectra stood up and headed for the Vestal Destroyer, docked on the side of the lake surrounding the city. And since Gus wanted to do the same and their rooms were next to each other, he followed Spectra through the hallways. For some reason, they ended up walking around the portrait of Helios. This was a sign. He knew that this is the opportunity he has been waiting for. They are alone and no one should be watching them. He has to tell him now. He took a deep breath. "Master Spectra?" He started. "Yes?" Spectra stopped right in front of that picture and to Gus' surprise, he turned around to face him. _No, no, no, no, no! Gus was so not ready for this! Why is Spectra looking at him? He wanted to talk to his back! That would be safer._ "There is something I need to tell you." He gathered all courage he could find in him and looked into Spectra's eyes. _There is no way back, just say it._ "I have fallen for you the day you invited me to join you." After he said that, he could not face his master any longer. He wanted to disappear, he wanted to never have said this sentence in the first place, but most importantly, he wanted to hear an answer. _'Just do it, master. Shout at me, throw me away, hate me, hurt me, whatever. But do it now, the silence is killing me.'_ He heard Spectra's steps heading towards him. This was his death sentence. "I know it is weird to feel that way since I am just a servant, a male one at that, but I just wanted you to know-" He tried to defend himself, but was interrupted by the beep sound indicating that Spectra took off his mask. Gus has never seen his master without it before, so he looked up only to realize his face was just a few centimeters away from Spectra's. Gus' heart skipped a few beats at his master's beauty, but he did not have much time to think about his breathtaking crystal blue eyes, because they fell closed as Spectra leaned even closer. Gus was shocked. He never dared to even hope his master could feel the same way about him, but here it was. His lips parted slightly and he felt blood rush into his cheeks as his heartbeat picked up speed. The temperature in the hallway seemed to have risen a few degrees, but his brain was frozen and he could not comprehend what was going on. That was until Spectra's lips brushed his. His eyes closed and he leaned into the touch. They were motionless at first, drowning in the wild swirl of feelings this simple connection induced. Then, Gus took the initiative and slowly made an effort to move, causing another wave of unknown emotions. Spectra reacted and they began to cautiously explore this new territory. Gus did not realize until now that he was holding his breath the entire time, letting it out in a small puff against Spectra's lips. His heart was beating as fast as if he just tried to outrun Vulcan and his insides were twisting and turning in an unfamiliar, yet still pleasant way. After a few seconds that felt like forever, they split. There was just heavy silence. Both of them were trying to catch their breath, calm their hearts and fight back the vibrant color from their faces. Neither of them dared to open their eyes yet. Spectra was the first one to break the silence. "Gus," he started slowly, trying to form all of his feelings into words. He was looking at the floor. "Ever since that day, you have always been by my side, supporting me and pushing me towards my goal." He paused to look into Gus' eyes and smile, which was the most beautiful thing Gus has ever seen in his life. "It took me quite a while to realize that I cannot go forward without you anymore. I love you too." Spectra's words have taken Gus by surprise. Even though they just kissed, he still could not believe it. It was so perfect, almost like a dream. He felt like he tried to jump off a bridge and found out he could fly. And he had no idea how to answer because he never thought of this scenario. Luckily, his master understood the position he was in (like he always did) and helped him out. Neither of them could look up, but Spectra said quietly: "You know that this is going to be impossible, right?" The sad undertone was evident, and Gus knew he was right. _What was he even thinking? What did he think he could achieve by confessing his feelings? There was no way they could just go on a date or something._ But Gus was not insecure about their future like Spectra was. There was one thing he knew for a long time: "Together with you, master Spectra, anything is possible," he said, giving his master an encouraging smile. His eyes widened at the sudden compliment, then looked back down and he smiled shyly. Gus had no idea that Spectra was able to display such a wide range of emotions once he removed his mask, but he found himself falling in love with each one of these expressions. "Stop calling me _master Spectra_. When we are in private, just call me-" Gus did not know he had the nerve to do this, but he interrupted his master by placing his finger on the lips he had just kissed _(kissed!)_. "I will call you _master Spectra_ because that is the name of the person I know and love. Besides, it is a name you created yourself, with your own power, so it is definitely better than anything you received from your parents. That is the reason you are using a pseudonym, right?" Gus immediately regretted saying this. _That was so rude! How dare he interrupt his master when he is talking?_ He pulled his finger away as if he got burned and wanted to step back, but Spectra's gloved hand shot up and caught his, which made his entire body freeze. _Spectra was holding his hand!_ In one slow motion, Spectra put his hand down, his smile showing Gus that he does not mind being interrupted this way at all. They left their fingers intertwined longer than necessary, but they had to let go. Spectra looked into Gus' eyes one last time before he turned away and put his mask back on. Gus understood. Spectra was afraid that someone could be watching them. They were just standing in a hallway. They were out of sight of the nearest surveillance camera, but they still had to be careful. The mask showed that a cleaning lady is scheduled to walk in here in a few minutes, so Gus stepped aside from Spectra and they continued walking to their rooms as if nothing happened. _But a lot has happened!_ Gus locked himself in his bedroom and after he took off his jacket and boots, he threw himself on the bed and buried his face in the pillow. There was a lot to process. He confessed his feelings to Spectra. That was fine, he meant for that to happen. What he did not see coming was what happened afterwards. First of all, Spectra likes him back. And kissed him. And showed him his face. He was really handsome. Gus could not get that image out of his mind. Those gorgeous eyes. It was such a pity he had to hide them all the time. And that smile? Gus would do anything to see him smiling like that every day. He hugged his pillow and squeezed it tightly, suppressing an excited squeal. His bare feet kicked against the mattress. This was the best day of his life. \--- When the lock of his bedroom clicked closed, Spectra felt a wave of relief wash over him. Finally, he can think about everything in peace. He put his jacket and boots into the wardrobe and his gloves, shirt, and mask on the bedside table. With his finger pressed towards his lips in a slight smile, he fell back-first onto the bed, thinking about Gus' words. And face. And lips. And this cute bipolar personality, how he switched from shy to brave, he did not know about. Gus was so amazing, how come he did not notice before? They have been working together for, how long, eight years? Spectra was also very surprised with the strength of the trust they felt towards each other. This bond was now completely unbreakable. He trusted Gus so much that he almost told him his real name and he was really glad that he stopped him. It was too soon, but he found himself trusting this boy so much that he wanted him to know everything: about his mother, father, sister, and everything that happened in his past. Maybe he would become the only person who would actually understand him. One day, he will definitely tell him._


	3. Having Responsibility

#### Episode 59 - Cyber Nightmare, Episode 60 - What's the plan? and Episode 61 - Freedom run

Vestal is a very lively place. The sun never sets there, because before it does, another one rises. The planet never sleeps and everything runs nonstop. Everyone has their own lifestyle and sleeps whenever they want. It varies depending on one's family habits and working hours. The day is divided into four quarters, one for each sun: morning from 6 to 12, afternoon from 12 to 18, evening from 18 to 24 and night from 0 to 6. Even on New Vestroia, vestals use their time system. They were very surprised when they found out that it gets dark in the evening and night, but the cities are equipped with artificial lighting. 

This time system is very practical for everyone, except for the people who have to rule over this mess.

Even though the Vexos were supposed to work as a group, the differences between them and their refusing to make compromises and change their habits made it almost impossible. After the invasion of New Vestroia, Spectra put their habits together and came up with a plan to improve it. He split the Vexos into three pairs, each of them assigned to a city.

Spectra and Gus were morning persons, up at six and ready to face the day. Even though they were mainly brawlers, they were scientist as well and therefore in charge of Gamma City and its Bakugan Research Facility. Also, it was logical that the two best brawlers will be the ones closest to the royal palace. They lived in Vestal Destroyer docked on the surface near the city, and operated everything from there.

Shadow usually woke up at ten, just to annoy Mylene who wanted to sleep until noon. They lived in a flat in Beta City. There was no particular reason why those two were together in that certain city. Mylene just wanted to live in Beta because she liked it and Shadow wanted to be with Mylene.

Lync had a similar sleeping cycle to the royal family, a complete opposite of the other Vexos, waking up at twenty in the evening and going to sleep at three in the night. Everyone suspected that he and Hydron plotted this on purpose to annoy Spectra with requests at midnight. He was assigned together with Volt to Alpha just because they have been left over. They had two small flats next to each other right at the arena.

Lync spent most of his time in professor Clay's laboratory in Alpha City, where he worked even before he became a member of the Vexos. Sure, the Vexos were allowed to have hobbies, Spectra and Gus also did some science as a side-job, but Lync often neglected his duties as a Vexos to stay either in the lab or at Hydron's for whatever reason. 

Therefore, Volt was forced to manage the city by himself. He was the I'll-sleep-when-I'm-dead type of person and put all of his time and effort into the city. Compared to other Vexos (and Zenoheld) who only did the necessary things and could not care less about their people, Volt was a responsible ruler and his people lived in welfare and prosperity.

\---

It was a regular morning for the inhabitants of Vestal Destroyer. Spectra woke up at his usual time. It was a calm night, without any interruptions and he had a nice dream as well, even though he could not remember any of it.

Slowly, the events from yesterday afternoon came on his mind. He blushed at himself in the mirror on his wardrobe door. He had no idea how to act in Gus' presence. It was like his usual confidence vanished and brain stopped working the moment he saw him. He never knew what to do or say. It was embarrassing. _He, the leader of the Vexos, could easily face king Zenoheld or prince Hydron, but facing his boyfriend was a problem?_ His blush deepened. _Boyfriend. That is what they are now, huh?_ He would have never thought that he will ever call someone this way.

Spectra caught himself staring at the door between Gus' and his bedroom. Their rooms had each a door to the hallway, but there was also a door connecting their rooms, just in case. And someone (it could only be one person) knocked at it. Spectra's heart skipped a beat.

"May I come in, master Spectra?" Gus' voice was barely above whisper. Spectra automatically reached for his mask, but stopped himself and decided not to wear it. It would be weird. But he needed to hide his nervousness behind something.

"G-go ahead," he answered, his voice shaking. He ordered himself to stop it and took a deep breath to regain his confidence as Gus entered. It seemed that he did not wake up much earlier than Spectra did. He was only wearing his shirt and pants, he was barefoot and his hair was a bit messy. It was adorable.

"Good morning," Gus smiled and Spectra melted. His brilliant brain just went blank. The only thing he could see and think of was the gorgeous being in front of him. His face formed a lovesick smile.

"Good morning."

"Master, I am sorry to bother you, but could you please help me with the assignment I got from Hydron? There is a problem I am stuck at, and I cannot find a way around it." Gus' apologetic smile made Spectra's heart race, but he realised the weight of the situation and the fact that Gus probably felt the same way he did, which would explain the pink dusting on his cheekbones and how he avoided eye contact.

"Sure, show it to me." As he headed to Gus' room, his brain slowly turned back on and focused on the task at hand. 

He realized that it is okay for him to be a bit shy around Gus. Maybe he does not need his brain. Since when is he relying on his brain anyway? He always did what his instincts told him, and the same should work even with Gus. Their relationship is still the same, just a bit better. 

Gus used to ask him for help like this even before, many times. He was very intelligent, no doubt, but Spectra was always faster and one step ahead. It was very hard for him to make friends because no one ever understood him, but Gus was different. He had a hard time but was the only person who was determined and actually able to keep up. It was this determination that made Spectra want to help him.

\---

Gus sat down on the chair at his computer and Spectra leaned on the table so that his head was next to Gus'. He showed him how to solve his problem and started explaining it. Gus turned his head to look into Spectra's eyes while he was talking, only to find out how close their faces are. He hated to zone out when he should be concentrating on work, but he could not help but drown in the blue colour. It was not a cold blue like he imagined Spectra's eyes to be. There was a lot of warmth, like the sky on a sunny day without a single cloud in sight.

He tried to concentrate on Spectra's words, but the only thing he could see were his lips. Pink, soft and sweet. He realised that they stopped moving and stayed parted. When he looked up, he found Spectra staring at his lips the same way he did few seconds prior. Hungry. Gus realised that he was probably staring at Spectra like this ever since he saw him. How could he not? He had his photos all over his bedroom back home. It was his idol, he was always amazed with the way Spectra stood, moved, spoke, gestured. Just with the way he was. Or was it the way he wanted him to be? Their bodies pressed together, limbs entangled, lips intertwined. 

Gus licked his lips and watched Spectra follow that movement, his pupils widening with desire. He realised that these feelings might have been developing in the back of his mind for quite a while. He remembered the way he cheered him on from his room. His parents would never allow him to go see a Bakugan battle, so he just watched all of Spectra's matches on his communication device. Now, he knew that blushing and pressing the device against his chest to calm down a racing heart was not really a typical reaction to seeing one's role model. More like a... crush.

The room was completely quiet and Gus made his decision. Stop thinking and start acting.  
He stood up to gain an advantage over his master because he was a bit taller (but no one ever noticed, Spectra looks taller than Gus only because of his hair), pressed him against the wall and kissed him. 

With all of his long-hidden and suppressed feelings now exposed, he was more certain than ever before. He loves this person with all of his heart. The insecurity from yesterday was gone. Gus loved Spectra, whether he liked it or not, and seeing the way Spectra leaned into the embrace and kissed back, he was not exactly indifferent towards Gus either.

Neither of them could breathe much but enjoyed this beautiful feeling nonetheless. They let go after a while, their lips swollen and lungs desperately searching for oxygen, body temperature slightly higher than before. 

"I love you so much, master Spectra," Gus whispered when he caught his breath, letting his head rest on Spectra's shoulder. The two of them fell into a tight hug.

"I love you too, Gus, more than you can imagine," Spectra whispered into his ear in response. Hearing that sent a shiver down Gus' spine. The tone in which they said it was the same. If Spectra loved him as much as he did him, he could not be happier.

A notification on their gauntlets reminded them, that their breakfast is served. They pulled away from each other, Spectra grabbed his mask and they went into the dining room in silent agreement, but one thing was different from their usual morning routine. Their hands remained connected.

\---

Work is much more fun if you can interrupt it with a kiss or some sweet words from time to time. Time goes by faster as well. Spectra's and Gus' good time ended with a strange noise from the room on the opposite side of the hallway, resembling Shadow's voice.

"What time is it?" Spectra sighed. He remembered that he ordered the ship's personnel to pick up Mylene and Shadow yesterday as well and dock in Alpha City. 

"It's eleven in the morning, you imbecile!" Mylene's scream gave him his answer. Spectra could not understand those two. She was always mean to him, yelling at him and insulting him all the time, yet he followed her everywhere, they spent all of their time together, shared a bedroom on Vestal Destroyer, lived together in the same place, and she did not even seem to be really bothered by his presence. Thinking back, they were the first two members of the Vexos, when Zenoheld decided to form this group in order to help his son on New Vestroia. As to why did the king choose these two, that was a total mystery to Spectra. 

He stood up to do something about them but was interrupted by Gus placing his hand on his shoulder. 

"Do not bother, master," he said as he pulled Spectra back into his chair. He nodded and they both continued working. It would be unwise torestrain them from their daily bickering. 

"But Mylene, we are going to the arena today, remember? You should get ready."

"It's at fifteen. In four hours."

"Only four hours? Will you be able to put all of your make-up on in time? It always takes ages."

"Just be quiet, I'm up already."

\---

Mira was thinking about it for a very long time, but there was no way around it. If they want to free the Bakugan, they need her brother. He is a prominent scientist, he should have all the information they need. He was in the team who designed the three cities. He knows where to strike to destroy the Dimension Controllers once and for all. Without him, their chances of success were very low. They had three humans who had nothing but outdated brawling skills and a lot of determination, Baron, who was not exactly the best brawler New Vestroia had to offer either, and her and Ace, two moderately strong brawlers forming the core of this feeble organization. Sure, they have managed to free a few Bakugan, but at this rate, they would need billions of years to save all of them. Her brother was the key to victory. She has to find him. 

"I can't join you," she told Dan and the others, "there's something I need to take care of, alone." She ran away without waiting for an answer. _She was the leader, after all, she could do whatever she wanted, right?_

She entered a familiar apartment building and used the elevator to rise up to the top floor. The password was still the same, so she had no difficulties entering her old home. Memories were flashing through her head with each step further into the foyer. They were happy memories, but she was saddened by them. They made her realize that she might never have a moment like that in her life ever again. The apartment was empty. _It was foolish to think he would be here._

The door on the left led into her own room, the one next to it to her father's bedroom, the one in front of her into the common area with a kitchen, dining room and a bathroom. But she walked into the door on the right. Keith's room opened in front of her. _Everything was just the way he left it._ A tear escaped her eye as she swept her hand over her brother's laptop.

She took it onto the desk in the dining room and turned it on. She needed to find something. _There must be some clue here. Something to tell her where he has gone._ She opened a folder with photos and a wave of nostalgia hit her. Keith looked so happy.

"I know... if I just keep looking..." She gasped when she opened a photo of her and her brother in the botanic garden near her workplace. There was something different. 

"It's just... I feel like something is wrong..." The photo was taken shortly before Keith disappeared. On the picture, his expression was not happy at all. There was a smile, but it seemed absent and sad on the edges. Maybe he planned his disappearance beforehand? He knew that he will be gone in a few days, and this was his goodbye?

"I hope that he is out there fighting to free the Bakugan like me," she sighed. "What do you think, Wilda? Does that make any sense to you?" Whenever she was doubting herself, she asked her Bakugan partner. He always had an honest answer. But today, he seemed hesitant.

"Well, I..."

"Wilda?" She asked, but then she heard the door slide open. "Who's there?" _Could that be..._

"Mira, you've come back." It was her father. He seemed to be happy to see her. "Well, I'm glad you've come to your senses."

"Never, if it means enslaving the Bakugan!"

"No need to get so upset, Mira." Just like Keith, her father was always looking at the situation from above. "Why can't you just enjoy your good life?"

"No way! That life depends upon the misery of others!"

"Enough." He seemed to be offended.

"Father, where is Keith?" She asked directly. She saw a pained expression flash across his face and he turned away. "Tell me! You know something, don't you?"

"I-I..." His hands and voice were shaking. "Mira, your brother... He's no more," he answered finally. "Please just take my advice and forget that you ever knew him." She could not believe it.

"Monster! How could you?" Did he decide to disown Keith? Why? He did not do anything against him! Or did he?

His communication device rang and he picked up the call. 

"Yes? I'm on my way." He ended and walked towards the door, completely ignoring her. She caught his hand.

"Hold it! Are you saying something happened? Tell me!" She begged.

"Pull yourself together!" He threw her on the ground. "Mira, this is all I have to say on the matter. If you know what's good for you, you will clean up and learn to behave." Before the door closed, he added: "Lock up when you leave." 

"Father, come back!" She ran after him, but she only managed to see a glimpse of the back of his car.

He treats her like an insolent child. Well, maybe she was acting like one. But she is an adult. And she will prove it. She went back into the apartment, this time into her old room, and took her old lab coat from the otherwise empty wardrobe. She put it on and went out, getting on a taxi.

"Mira Fermin. I want to go where my father is," she ordered the robotic driver.

"Hold on tight!" It answered and the car moved. After a while, it parked in front of the laboratory next to her father's. As expected. She entered the building.

"Ah, Miss Mira, it's been a while," the guards smiled and she waved at them with a fake smile. 

"We will begin the experiment immediately," she heard her father and followed him. _What is he up to this time?_

She was not sure which way they went, so she just followed her usual route to the observation deck. As she looked through the glass, she could not believe it. 

_What is that thing? It can't be? Vestals creating Bakugan? But why?_

Dan called her and she told him to come here. They needed to see this. But until then, she needed to hide somewhere. She entered an empty room she did not remember.

\---

For once, Lync was actually sitting in the office with Volt. Not surprisingly, he was not doing anything useful. He was watching Clay's experiment on the surveillance cameras. He was assisting with this project for a long time and finally, it seemed to be nearing completion. He was laughing, and it annoyed Volt to pieces, but then he noticed something. There was someone following Clay since he was at home. He would recognize this person anywhere. The leader of Bakugan Battle Brawlers Resistance, Mira Fermin. 

The experiment was a complete success and what was even better, Mira seemed to be hiding on the battlefield. He dialed professor Clay.

"What is it, Lync? I'm working on project Altair and I hate to be disturbed." Professor's annoyed voice responded. Lync was not bothered by that. Because of his high position, he could annoy anyone he wanted and no one could do anything against him.

"As far as I can see, you've just finished," he smirked and jumped off his chair. He walked out of the arena building and stopped a taxi. "And I've got a perfect opportunity to test it. Just leave it to me." He was not asking, and Clay knew that.

"Yes," Clay sighed and ended the call. 

"To the lab and fast," he said and the car immediately shot forward at maximum speed. He was at the laboratory in a few seconds. He picked up Altair and walked into the battlefield, turning the lights on to startle the girl. 

"Lync!"

He laughed. "You thought you were so smart coming here, Mira," he mocked her. "Your father is a genius, you know? But it's too bad for you that you didn't inherit his brain. We've been following you ever since you went home and you never even noticed! Amateur! Dumb moves like that are why your little crusade is doomed! But I'll help you out. You'd like to see what your father's been up to here, wouldn't you, Mira? Well, take a good long look." He opened his hand. He loved to provoke her like that. If he defeats her, not only he will confirm that project Altair was worth all the money that were put into the research, but also when he takes Mira's Bakugan, it will be one less protector for the Dragonoid. The prince will surely be pleased. "Good news. A new day is dawning for the Vexos and I'm gonna show you why."

"Powering up the battlefield system. Begin the simulation."

He was very pleased to hear the surprised gasps from the Resistance when he introduced Altair. He was very proud of himself. Sure, professor Clay was the one who made it all work, but he designed the Bakugan and came up with its abilities. It was a perfect creation fitting his battle style. 

And it lost.

"Oh well, big deal. It's just another broken Bakugan. You got lucky," he smiled. He knew all too well that in science, every failure is still a success. He managed to gather a lot of valuable data to upgrade Altair, and he already got plenty of new ideas for new abilities.

"You don't even care?" Dan gasped.

"Why? Soon, professor Clay will perfect it, so don't sweat it, I'll finish this off the next time we get together!" He retreated back to the lab. Clay was already there.

"I've got the data. Once I make the modifications on Altair, it will be the most powerful Bakugan in the universe!"

"You better hurry it up!" Lync shouted, throwing the broken machine at Clay. "I need it to be ready for battle this afternoon!"

"That's impossible!" The mechanics behind Clay protested. "We can fix the old version, but we won't be able to edit any part of his body in time!" 

"Do I have to do everything by myself?" Lync sighed, already forming a plan. "Fix him and make him more durable. You can do that much, right?"

"Yes, sir!" They saluted and went off to fulfill their task. 

"In the meantime, professor, you will help me create a separate add-on Bakugan that can connect with Altair," he turned to Clay.

"You mean that we will put all the upgrades into a separate body and connect them?" He asked to make sure he understands correctly.

"Exactly. We'll call it, umm, Ventus Wired."

\---

The tournament was once again boring. Spectra was sure that once he collected the best brawlers for the Vexos, the rest was just full of weaklings. He and the Vexos just needed to show themselves to make it look like they are watching, but in reality, they were completely indifferent. 

"We've got special superstars in the audience today! Spectra and his mighty Vexos have arrived!"  
The announcer shouted. Then, he continued to introduce them as they took stage in their usual order. "The merciless Mylene!" She lifted a hand to greet everyone, but her face remained stone cold. "The savage Shadow Prove!" He pulled off a wannabe attractive pose and his fans were going crazy. "The relentless Gus!" As the newest member, Gus always bowed to the audience to express how glad he is to be there. Spectra loved how humble Gus got when in front of his people. Unless he was protecting him, he was always kind and gentle towards the fans and they loved it. "And the supreme Spectra!" He did not need to do anything. He was just standing there and the entire audience was screaming at the top of their lungs. He always felt strong like this, having the power of the people like this. But did he have their trust? If he turned his back to the royal family, would they follow? No, it was too soon for that. He needed to have some actual achievements aside from being a good brawler.

The only problem Spectra had with stages was that they were too high up. To go back down, they had to use the elevator, which brought several problems: Number one: being so close to Gus in such a tight space was not good for Spectra's health. It would be fine if it was not for problem number two: They were not alone. There were other people in the elevator. And what was even worse, those people were Mylene and Shadow. 

"Did you see the fans go crazy when they introduced me?" Shadow laughed.

"Whatever," Mylene said. Even through her icy mask, they all could tell that she was a bit jealous. Her skills did enchant a few fans, but it was nothing compared to the number of people captivated by Shadow's unbound honesty. "We can leave the challengers to Lync and Volt. I'm going back to Beta City," she decided, but it was irrelevant. The challengers in Alpha City were always handled by Lync and Volt, the only exception was when Spectra was interested in someone, which has not happened since Gus in Beta eight years ago. 

"Maybe I'll keep you company," Shadow went after. He had no choice anyway. Spectra and Gus stayed behind to check security. The Resistance was nearby Alpha City the last time they saw each other, so they wanted to be careful. 

"Do you have anything to report?" Gus asked the guards. They were not allowed to talk to the Vexos directly unless there was an emergency, but since Gus was considered a servant as well, it was fine.

"Nothing unusual. A few of your fans snuck backstage, though," one of the guards answered. 

"Really? What fans?" Spectra asked himself. That was very suspicious. The few people who were skilled enough to hack their security system were also smart enough to know that these actions can only end with an arrest and a year in prison.

"Should I check on it?" Gus asked. Spectra thought about it. This was Lync's and Volt's problem to handle. He quickly used his mask to check the security cameras, but he found nothing. Of course. But he did not have time for this. 

"Do not bother," he sighed, flicking Helios between his fingers. It was a gesture he did when he was focused on something, and right now, his thoughts were elsewhere. More accurately, at the annoyingly big pile of work that was still waiting for him and Gus when they get home. Hydron was lazy and left everything up to them.

They heard something behind a corner. Gus went to check on it, but he did not find anything. Spectra smirked. These were definitely not ordinary fans. Volt and Lync are going to be in trouble. He left for his ship and, of course, Gus followed him.

After lift-off, he dialed the Alpha Arena office. Volt picked up. 

"It appears some mice have snuck into the arena," Spectra said.

"Who cares about mice?" Lync shouted from somewhere Spectra could not see.

"This arena and city are _your_ problem. It is time to clean the house," he warned and ended the call.

\---

Their work was finally finished around eighteen in the evening. Spectra and Gus agreed to eat something, have a shower and go to sleep, but their peaceful time was interrupted by a distress message from Alpha City. 

"What is it?" Spectra asked and looked on his gauntlet. His only reaction was that his expression hardened and he reached for his mask. From that, Gus could not figure out what was going on, but it was definitely a bad thing. He checked his own gauntlet only to freeze in shock after he read it. The Dimension Controller Alpha has been destroyed. 

"Oh no. When the prince finds out..." Gus whispered a sentence he did not have to finish. When Hydron wakes up in about two hours and finds out about this, he is going to be very angry, wake Spectra up and yell at him for several hours until he starts to feel better. He does this every time there is some trouble. They knew from their previous experiences in this kind of situation that they do not have to bother by trying to get a little sleep right now. This day was going to be a lot longer than they expected.

"Gus, go to sleep. I will handle our enraged little prince," Spectra turned to Gus and wanted to put his mask on, but Gus grabbed his hand to stop him for a while. He was so touched by this gesture of Spectra's. Gus had no idea he was this considerate. He wanted to tell him so many things, but he settled for a few sentences.

"No, Master. We are in this together. I will always be at your side. This was my promise to you and I intend to keep it," he stated with a serious face, but at the end, it turned into a soft smile. Spectra's expression softened as well.

"Thank you, Gus, I am really grateful." Gus took the mask and put it gently on Spectra's face. 

"Let us go, then. We have much to do." They did. They had to call Lync and Volt and find out what happened.

Was it their fault? Were they too careless? No.

Even though Spectra was the one who is going to be yelled at, Volt and Lync were responsible. It will be their job to capture the culprits before Hydron wakes up. Which will not be that easy, considering who it most likely was. The base the Resistance worked from was equipped with an anti-tracker that was hindering them from locking onto their gauntlet signals. They were basically invisible. They had no choice but to wait until they make another move.


	4. Following Orders

#### Episode 62 - Surprise Visitor and Episode 63 - Gate Crashers

"I have had enough of this, Spectra! First of all, you still have not delivered the Dragonoid to me," Just as expected. Hydron was angry.

"Sire, there have been difficulties." Spectra bowed suppressing the urge to throw up.

"And now a dimension controller has been destroyed. It's all because of that human Dan and the Resistance." Then, he finally calmed down. "It's so simple. Get rid of the human and the Dragonoid will be mine. Get it done, Spectra."

"Yes, my prince." The call ended. Spectra stood up and reached to grab Gus' hand. "Now that this is done, let us go to sleep at least for a while," he sighed and Gus nodded. Hydron forced them to stay up all night and neither of them was happy about it. 

\---

Spectra woke up just as tired as when he went to sleep. It was early afternoon. He got dressed, put his mask on and went on the deck, hoping to relax a little and be able to rest and while longer. But that did not happen. There were cards falling from the sky and that changed his plans. He caught one of them.

"A Gate Card?" He needed to check this out. He went back down and knocked on Gus' door. Gus opened, freshly awake and looking really cute, but Spectra had no time to dwell on that. 

"Master Spectra?" He was surprised at first, but then he smiled. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Gus. What do you think this is?" He handed him the card.

"It appears to be a Gate Card. But a weird one," Gus inspected it.

"They were falling from the sky just a while ago," Spectra explained.

"The sky? That is very strange. We should probably ask professor Clay about this," Gus proposed. Spectra did not like this solution, but he had to admit he did not have a better one.

"Yes, we should. Change the course to Alpha City," he sighed.

"Master, Hydron ordered that he will be transferred into Gamma City yesterday, remember?" Gus reminded him.

"Oh, right. To Gamma City, then."

"Yes, master Spectra." While Gus left for the bridge, Spectra headed to the hangar. He had an idea as well.

"Helios?" He called into the empty hall. Usually, the Bakugan of the people who stayed on the Vestal Destroyer resided here in the hangar where the smaller ships of the Vexos were stored. Currently, there was only the red and orange one. Spectra's ship was hidden under a layer of dust, showing how often he used it. The Bakugan liked this room because once the ship left the area of effect of the Dimension Controllers, they could be here in their full forms, there was enough space for it.

"What is it, Spectra?" Helios appeared in his ball form. Spectra showed him the Gate Card.

"Do you know what it is?" He asked. Helios bumped into it with his miniature body and the card glowed red.

"It's a Gate Card, but..." He paused to find the correct word to describe the sensation he felt. "...smaller."

"What do you mean?" Spectra frowned behind the mask.

"It's weaker. Normal Gate Card opens a battlefield, but you can fight even outside of the circumscribed space. However, you'd need at least two of these to even open a battlefield, not to mention its size," Helios explained.

"I see. Thank you, that is valuable information," Spectra nodded and left. At least now, he could feel like he has the upper hand on his father. Clay will tell him everything he knows and Spectra will be able to connect it with what he found out from Helios.

\---

"We wish to speak with professor Clay," Gus told the guards in front of the individual laboratory area.

"Professor Clay is working and does not want to be disturbed," one of them answered. Gus shot a worried look at his master. He seemed to be in a bad mood since they woke up and in such cases, it was basically Gus' job to make sure that no one makes him angry. Because if Spectra is in a bad mood, he can get angry very easily, and when he is angry, he can turn anything within his sight into a lethal weapon that can destroy anyone or anything in his path. In other words, he was very scary.

"Do you think I care?" Spectra said before Gus could even open his mouth to reply. He raised his voice and the murderous glint in his eyes was visible despite the mask. He was not fully angered yet, Gus knew, but he was on the edge. Gus was glad to see that Spectra's threatening question made the guards shut up and let them through. 

As they walked through the hallway, Spectra's steps faster and heavier than usual, Gus tried to think of a way to calm his master down before he snaps at someone. However, the door to Clay's new personal lab appeared in front of them too quickly. Spectra opened it without bothering to knock. 

"I said I don't want to be-" The professor stopped mid-sentence when he saw Spectra. "What do you want?"

"This," Spectra held the card in front of his face between two fingers, "fell from the sky earlier." He threw the card with full strength as if he wanted to start a battle right between Clay's eyes. He caught it and turned back to his screen, inspecting it closely. Then, he looked something up on his computer.

In the meantime, Gus used all of his courage to place his hand on Spectra's shoulder. When he turned around, Gus gave him a long look, silently asking him to calm down. After a while, Spectra broke the eye contact and his lips formed a small apologetic smile. He mouthed a "Sorry" before turning back to glare at Clay.

There was a tension between the two of them. It seemed as though something happened between them in their past that sparked this mutual hatred. Or was it a rivalry? True, Spectra was an auspicious scientist, but he did not have any achievements of his own, Gus realized. He did research something, but every time he was close to finishing a project, all of the data disappeared from the system. Since Spectra never seemed to be bothered by that, Gus assumed it was on purpose. But now, he could not help but wonder about his work outside of the Vexos and his relationship with professor Clay.

"Interesting. I've never seen this Gate Card before. You say it fell from the sky?" Professor Clay did not appear to be surprised.

"Yes. And there were others," Gus replied in Spectra's stead, afraid that he would come up with some hostile remark.

"Just as I suspected, then," Clay said.

"What is happening?" Gus insisted on getting an answer to his question.

"This card probably came from the human world." This was still not a full answer.

"But why are they here?" Spectra demanded, already calmer than before. Gus was relieved.

"On Earth, energy can transform into Gate Cards. Someone from the human world must be trying to pass through the gate to New Vestroia." Finally a solid answer.

"Then we will welcome them," Spectra decided. Gus was sensing a plan against the human members of the Resistance.

 _"Go, punch it! C'mon, Julie!"_ A voice pierced their ears, but they could not see anyone.

 _"Runo, I don't think this is safe!"_

_"I'll take that risk, now just hit the switch!"_

_"But what if I read the instructions wrong? You could get hurt!"_

_"Stop talking and let's have lift-off, I could've been there already!"_

"What is that voice?" Spectra asked.

"Perhaps it's a residual effect of the weakening dimensional barrier, like the Gate Cards earlier. The wall between Earth and New Vestroia is damaged. We're hearing voices from the human world." Clay explained.

 _"I don't know, maybe we should stop this while we still can, Runo!"_

_"Don't fail on me, Julie, Dan needs my help! Julie!"_

_"But Runo..."_

_"It's now or never! I need to help Dan, please!"_

\---

Two human girls could cause Spectra a lot of trouble, especially if they are Dan's friends.

 _"According to these readings, Runo was transported, but she's trapped between here and New Vestroia. We have to find a way to save her before it's too late. Once the dimensional gateway closes completely, I'm afraid she'll be lost between worlds forever."_ A voice of an old man appeared. Spectra suspected that the girls are now in New Vestroia and the man could be the inventor of their dimension transporter system. Did he just say that a gate to Earth is open somewhere? 

That presented a completely new possibility. If he gets to Earth, he will be free to do anything and the Vexos will not interfere. And if he manages to get the Brawlers on his side... He has already thought about this before. If they join him, there will be no Resistance, therefore no destroyed dimension controllers, no lost Bakugan and no trouble. And he will have enough power to defeat Hydron and take over New Vestroia. And then, he will be unstoppable.

 _"Dan, is that you? I'm sending you coordinates. Take Runo there immediately."_ They heard the man say. Spectra decided.

"Gus, prepare your ship for an immediate departure. Destiny awaits."

\---

"Yes, sir." Gus had no idea what is Spectra planning, but as far as he knew his master, he was not planning anything. He carried out Spectra's orders without questions, though. 

They left Alpha City and landed near the location of the gate professor Clay gave them. Spectra got off and continued on foot, confused Gus was right behind him.

"Where are we going, master?" He asked, but Spectra answered with putting his index finger on his lips and a quiet "ssh". They were hiding behind a big rock and the gate was right in front of them.

"Prince Hydron is afraid of Earth, but I am intrigued. There is no guarantee we will be able to return. You do not have to come with me, you know?" He asked. Gus blushed a little. Master Spectra was worried about him. How cute.

"Oh, I am coming too. Where you go, I go, master Spectra," he nodded with determination. There was no way he could let his master go to a foreign planet all alone. And besides, he would never say no to a vacation with just the two of them. They headed to the gate, but someone was standing in their way.

"Lync?"

"Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't recall prince Hydron commanding us to go to the human world, _great_ Spectra," Lync sneered, emphasizing the word 'great' sarcastically.

"Which begs the question why are you here," Spectra answered with a question.

"Who knows what trouble you get into if I left the two of you alone," Lync narrowed his eyes. He was not asking for permission, he was just informing them that he is going along.

"Do what you like. We are going through." Spectra pretended not to care, but he did. And Gus did too. They entered the gate with Lync behind them.

\---

"Vexos! Worst boyband ever!" Dan introduced them to his friends. "Get this straight, guys, this is my home turf and you're not welcome!" He shouted.

"Hear that, _mighty_ Spectra?" Lync looked up at Spectra through his lashes. "We're not wanted here on Earth." Spectra was really annoyed with the way he was addressing him.

"You got that right!" Baron said. Spectra ignored that child completely and smirked. His intention to get the Brawlers on his side has not changed, but he had to get rid of Lync. Now, he just needed to put on a convincing act and have Gus comply, neither of which was a problem to him.

"Fine then, I will go. But I want... a souvenir!" He grabbed Runo and jumped on the top of the transporter. 

"You feathered freak!" She screamed.

"Watch your mouth," he warned her and jumped through a window, safely shattering it to pieces without injuring anyone including himself. Knowing he was fast enough to outrun anyone in that building, he carried the girl through the ambient forest, making sure to leave enough footprints for the Brawlers to find him. 

\---

Gus caught on with Spectra's plan surprisingly fast. He needs to get rid of the unwanted supervisor. Therefore, he made everyone chase him through the forest while Gus slows Lync down to allow his master to have a chat with the leaders of the Resistance (for whatever reason). 

When everyone except for that ginger girl and the old man ran after Spectra, he made no real effort to keep up. He only made sure that he can follow Lync unnoticed, which was easy, considering how much spying he did for Spectra since he joined the Vexos.

"Great, so now we're stranded on an ice cube planet in some other universe. Of course, it figures that Spectra couldn't transport us to a beach somewhere," Lync complained to himself after he lost Spectra in the forest. 

"What is your problem?" Gus jumped down from the trees where he was hiding right in front of Lync. He had to stall for time.

"Well well, Spectra's little pet. Poor Gus, you look lost without your master. Let's see how tough you are..." He laughed. "...when Spectra is not here to back you." 

"Spectra may trust you now, but you're still a snake. Why don't you slither back to your hole," Gus answered. He did not mind being insulted, it happened all the time and _'Spectra's pet'_ was more of a compliment than an insult.

"That's really funny coming from Spectra's lapdog. Did he let you off the leash or did you lose him when he took you out for a walk?" That was not even funny anymore. In fact, it was starting to get really boring. Could he please at least come up with something new?

"That's it." Gus put his gauntlet on. "Your mouth is the only dangerous thing about you."

"There's only one way to find out," Lync laughed while activating his own gauntlet.

"Hold it right there! Where is Spectra? ...Huh? You're brawling? Trouble in paradise?" While Baron was talking, Gus received a message from Spectra. 

{Gus, I need to talk to the Brawlers. Lure them to me, especially Mira and Dan, and make sure to leave Lync behind. S}

Gus was happy to find out that he understood Spectra's plan correctly. 

"Go ahead, rip on each other, I don't care. Just tell us where Spectra took our friend Runo," Mira asked. Gus received another message. 

{Dan is here. Find Mira. S}

"Who knows. Why don't you ask Gus here," Lync shrugged. Gus turned around and ran, hoping that Mira will follow him.

"Hey, get back here!" She did.

\---

"Dan!" The girl Spectra was carrying (Runo?) was awfully loud. He has spent like two minutes with her and already wanted to let her go. He sent a message to Gus. He hoped that Lync is lost far enough and will not interfere.

"You better not hurt her Spectra or you're history!" Her shouting lured Dan here. Maybe she is not so useless after all. He quickly updated Gus on his situation. 

"No need for theatrics, your friend is safe," he said calmly.

"What do you want?" Why does Dan have to keep shouting all the time? He is standing a few meters from him.

"Come join the Vexos, Dan, it's that simple," he smirked. His gauntlet was showing that Gus is nearby and heading towards him.

"Forget it!" Dan shouted. Spectra heard Mira arrive just above them. "Join you? Have you lost it?" No, he did not, but he will if Dan keeps being childish. 

"We share a goal: To save the Bakugan," he stated. He was saying the truth, he did want to free the Bakugan from the Vexos because in that case, the king would call Hydron off and he would be free to do anything he wants. But he knew that no one will believe him, he waited for Gus to step in.

"Yeah, right." Dan did not believe him and Gus took it as his cue.

"It is true, human. Prince Hydron is your true enemy." He explained as he approached him from behind. Then he jumped over him and landed in front of Spectra.

"Prince Hydron?" What? He does not know who Hydron is? Then what was he fighting for the entire time?

"Vestal prince. He's the one who rules over New Vestroia," Mira explained.

"So what?" He still did not get it? How can he be their leader when his brain consists of five brain cells and four of them are screaming _"Bakugan, brawl!"_?

"If we join forces, we can end Hydron's threat," he added. Mira started walking towards him. At least she has something in her head.

"Mira, hold it! Don't trust him!" Dan stopped her. This is going to be a long discussion at this rate. "What, first you take Runo and now you wanna team up?"

"Yeah, not cool," the girl in his arms agreed. Why are they so hung up about this? Do they actually believe that he would hurt a little girl? Who do they think he is?

"Then I will show good faith. The girl is yours." He let her go and she ran to hug her friends. Spectra pulled out one of the cards he was holding to convince them. "You might be interested to know that your former Bakugan now belong to Hydron. They are now gigant bronze statues decorating his throneroom. He is quite proud of his collection."

"No way." "Statues?!" The girls gasped.

"Yes. Five of the Six Fighting Bakugan stand as an example for anyone who tries to defy his rule," he continued as if he was telling a horror story.

"Oh no, Gorem!" "That does it. Prince Hydron is toast."

\---

Spectra jumped down from that rock to face the Resistance directly instead of looking at them from above. Gus admired how carefully he picked every word and move to put on a perfectly convincing performance.

 _'Of course,'_ he thought. _'Taking down prince Hydron will be a lot easier with the help of the Bakugan Brawlers Resistance. Then the way will be clear for Spectra to rule New Vestroia. With the power of the Bakugan in our hands we will become invincible. And once that happens there is nothing these children can do to stop us. Spectra will rule with me at his side.'_ He almost blushed at this mental image. It was everything he ever wanted, and it seemed to get closer with every step they took.

"The only way for you to save your friends is to work with me." Spectra had to spell it out for them, raising his voice slightly. He was pushing them into making a decision.

"Tigrerra..."

"Right, 'cause you're so trustworthy."

"I am telling you the truth." Gus had no idea why is Spectra even talking to those two girls.

"But-" Anyway, they were going for it. Gus started to understand what Spectra was trying to do. Each ally gained will make him stronger. The more members of the Resistance will be on his side, no matter whether the minor or major ones, the more closely the others will listen. 

"Don't listen to him!" Drago exclaimed.

"Even if what you say is true we'll never join the Vexos! You're the ones who invaded New Vestroia and captured the Bakugan! First you take their world, then treat them like animals, there's no way we'll work with you! Right, Mira?" Dan agreed and searched support in his co-leader. 

"Wha- uh... Um, yeah!" Mira definitely believed Spectra. Gus could not help but wonder why does she trust them so significantly faster than others. She seemed to be thinking about everything carefully.

"Your so-called friend Mira is a vestal too. You can forge an alliance with her and not with me? I gave you your friend back, I am talking, not brawling, what more proof do you need?" Spectra was getting impatient. Not good.

"Free the Bakugan first and then I'll believe!" Dan shouted. Just how stubborn is he?

"Not until we bring down Hydron!" Spectra raised his voice as well. 

"What's the matter, afraid to give up all your power?" One of the girls asked, even though the answer was obvious. Of course, he did not want to lose his power, he cannot defeat Hydron without it.

"That's why we'll never trust you, Spectra!" Dan was interrupted by a strange gate that opened between them. That ginger human girl appeared out of it. "Alice?" Dan introduced her. "Freaky. How'd you do that?" 

"Remember?" She showed a mysterious card. "This is the card Masquerade used to transport himself. I used it to help me find you guys and warp me here." She turned to Spectra and Gus. "Now as for you two, you're taking another trip."

"A trip?"

Gus gasped as he realized what is going on. The next thing he knew that he was standing in front of the dimension transporter and the gate was sucking them both in. He was trying to get away, but was too weak.

"Gus!" Spectra shouted after him before surrendering to the gate as well.

\---

After their battle, Lync returned back to the laboratory where they landed. He looked in through the window Spectra had broken, only to find out unfortunate news.

"I'm afraid the last warp was too much for the dimension transporter. I'll have to rebuild it from scratch before I can send anyone back again," the old scientist said. _This can't be happening! He is stuck on this foreign planet without a chance of return?_ When he accepted to spy on Spectra for the prince, he did not expect this to happen. 

\---

_"So, Lync, tell me. What did you find out about Spectra?" Hydron asked. Lync was kneeling in front of his throne. When he got an order to examine Spectra's background closely, he had no idea how crushing the findings will be._

_"I found out his true identity," he said rather quietly. Hydron was shocked so much he stood up._

_"Really?" Then, he realized his position and sat back down. "Come closer and tell me," he returned to his usual calm voice. Lync walked to his side and leaned closer to whisper into his ear._

_"Spectra is..." The man he was grateful for inviting him into the Vexos was... "Keith Fermin." His arch-rival. The one he was trying to surpass his entire life, and he thought he finally did it when he joined the Vexos. The Mr. Perfect whose scientific work was full of breakthrough discoveries, even though he was still an apprentice, while Lync never got any credit for anything he did. He was more of an idea man, he specialized in design and exterior appearance. The problem was that whoever made his ideas work, whoever filled the shell he created, got all the glory. No one knew how many buildings he designed, including the cities Alpha, Beta and Gamma and the Vestroia Palace._

_He needed to prove to that he can become an amazing scientist, for his mother's sake. But when compared to the elder son of the Fermin family, he did not stand a chance._

\---

Lync jumped from tree to tree, following the humans to their primitive aircraft. However, when they were saying goodbyes to each other, his rubber boot slipped on the layer of ice covering the branch he was sitting on and he fell down. His head dove into the snow and another pile covered the rest of his body. He immediately turned around and stuck his head out on top, inhaling deeply to calm down his shocked racing heart. 

"Hey, it looks like you're stuck here with the rest of us for a while," Dan told him. Lync was trying his best not to look embarrassed.

"Yeah, a lil' birdie told me," he looked away from them.

"What're you going to do?" Mira asked. Lync slowly began to realize how hopeless his situation was.

"Wanna come with us?" Dan proposed. No way. He would never sink that low. He has his pride. He can take care of himself just fine.

"Like I need _you_ ," he laughed. "I can find my own way back without you amateurs."

"Whatever, suit yourself, then. We're outta here."

That was a big lie, both to the Brawlers and to himself. He did not know what to do. This time, even he was out of ideas.

The ginger girl was leaving with her grandfather. She turned around to face Lync. He thought that she would try to convince him to go with her. She seemed to be this kind and caring type of girl. But instead, she was staring him down with her lips pressed tight together. There was something in her eyes that made her look very intimidating. Avoiding eye contact, he still recited his prepared answer.

"Forget it. There's nothing that could make me want anything to do with you." His false bravado was interrupted by a loud rumbling of his stomach. He realized that the two tomatoes he had for breakfast were his only food that day, and that was hours ago.

No, he cannot just accept the help of a human. What would everyone say if they found out?

But he was starving.

What if no one finds out? If it stays here in the middle of nowhere between the three of them, neither his family nor the Vexos should find out, right?

"Come on, we won't wait forever," she dictated and turned around, marching fast to catch up with her grandfather. Normally, his response would be something along the lines of 'No one tells _me_ what to do!', but he knew that right now it would only make his situation worse. The girl had a powerful presence and he felt like he should not talk back to her. He just followed the two humans, with his shoulders slumped and head bowed. It was humiliating. He was abandoned in a foreign world, his Bakugan was broken, his gauntlet offline and he had to rely on the help of humans so that he does not starve or freeze to death.

The house was tiny, even Lync's apartment in Alpha City was bigger. The floor and the walls were wooden. Wood was a rare resource on Vestal due to limited space, they only had trees that bore fruits (and even that was not seen often), but that apparently was not the case on Earth, Lync concluded from the amount of forested area he saw outside. The first room was a kitchen with a dining table, a primitive computer on a small worktable in one corner and a green sofa with another small table in the other. The entire house was heated with open fire near the table. The fireplace was framed with white polished stone with a disorderly black pattern. On the left, he could see two open doors into bedrooms and a bathroom between them.

Lync would surely examine this peculiar architecture and designs more closely, but he was not on holiday. He was in prison. 

"Sit," she pointed at the floor next to the table. He obeyed, not lifting his head. He continued to look at his crossed legs while listening to the sounds from the kitchen.

He clenched his fists, grabbing the fabric of his loose black-and-white pants. A few droplets of water that were squeezed out of the fabric slid down his forearms and dripped from his elbows onto the floor. The room may have been warm, but his clothes were soaked and he was trembling with cold. Or anger, he was not sure. He did not know who he was angry at, either. 

He was angry at Spectra because he was here only because of him. He was angry at Hydron because he ordered him to spy on Spectra. He was angry at his family because they created circumstances that forced him to enter the Vexos in the first place. But most of all, he was angry at himself, because he was weak. He had to rely on humans. He was defeated by some snow. He got beaten by Baron, for heaven's sake! Why was he so pathetic?

His entire body was trembling with this anger. Or was it out of fear?

He was afraid of what is going to happen. Does he have to endure this humiliation until the Transporter is fixed? How long will it take? Will he be able to get back home? And even if he does, what will he find there? What is going on while he is gone? Will anyone miss him? He had plenty of younger siblings, if one son disappears, another one will replace him. There are many capable Ventus brawlers who can take his spot in the Vexos. And it is not like he was the only skilled designer the vestal race had to offer, either. 

Alice placed a plate, a piece of bread and a spoon on the table in front of him.

"As soon as the Transporter is repaired, you are so gone," she said her final statement and left him in the room by himself.

He felt the emotions he was bottling up inside of him threatening to get out. His bottom lip was quivering. And finally, the tears spilled over. 

He was completely extendable. No one needs him. No one wants him to be around. He is all alone.

After a few minutes, he began to calm down. He did not know if he was feeling better or worse, but he felt different than before at least. Everything did not seem to be so hopeless. He may be all alone, but that is fine. It was like that his entire life. He does not need anyone. He will stand up and fight. But first, he has to eat something. 

He reached for the plate and spoon and placed it on his lap. It was filled with some yellowish oily liquid with some small green leaves, yellow cubes, and light brown spheres. Compared to how bad it looked, the smell was delightful. And Lync was so hungry that none of this mattered to him anyway. He sipped a spoonful of the liquid and it filled his stomach with warmth. It was delicious. He could not stop a small satisfied smile creep onto his face as he emptied the plate in seconds. He stood and placed it into the sink. 

Now, he just has to dry his clothes somehow. He undid his cape and jacket and put it on the floor near the fireplace. He hesitated at first, but then he took off his boots and finally even his shirt. He laid himself near the fireplace as well and enjoyed the heat it radiated.

\---

Alice left Lync alone only to see how he reacts and whether he tries to do something suspicious. She watched his bare chest rise and fall with his even breaths as he relaxed at the fireplace. His satisfied smile and closed eyes made him look almost innocent. But the clearly defined muscles on his shoulders, arms, and abdomen showed that he was no ordinary boy.

He was a Vexos. He was arrogant, selfish, mean and cruel. He helped to enslave all Bakugan on New Vestroia and turn Hydranoid and the others into statues. There was no way she could forgive him.

But just a few minutes ago, it was completely different. She saw him break down in tears. At that moment, he did not look like a monster, but like a lonely lost child. 

Perhaps she misjudged him. She had no idea why was he doing what he did. She caused her friends a lot of trouble too, and she did not mean it. Maybe he was not a bad person. He was so young, he could not be older than fourteen. Could he have a difficult family situation? Maybe he is an orphan. Or maybe that Vestal prince is forcing him into this. For all she knows, he may just be a good person with bad circumstances. Like she used to be. 

She decided to be nice to him after all. Maybe that is all he needs to realize that when you use a sword, you cannot save anyone. You can only hurt people with it. 

Still, she will keep her guard up, just in case.


	5. Facing a Rival

#### Episode 64 - Unmasked

They landed in a very small room that only had two seats inside. Gus hit the back of his head against the wall behind him and even his hair could not cushion the impact.

"Where are we?" He whined.

"On Earth," Spectra answered, "I took precautions. We still have unfinished business with Dan Kuso." Gus looked at his gauntlet and understood what happened. It was really brilliant to come up with this idea despite the situation.

"So? What are you going to do?" He asked. 

"We need to get out of this place. There are too many humans here." Spectra said looking out of the window.

"What a shame. I thought this will be a nice vacation with just the two of us," Gus mentioned, looking outside as well.

"I wish. It seems like this is going to turn out to be really bothersome," Spectra sighed.

"Maybe next time, then?" Gus asked curiously, just to find out whether Spectra is on the same page.

"Next time for sure," Spectra smiled and leaned to Gus to place a quick kiss on his forehead before the ride stopped.

They stood up and opened the door. People were scared of them. They could sense that Spectra and Gus were superior to them in every way and opened them a way through the crowd. Gus activated a scanner on his gauntlet.

"This way, master. There is a place without people," he pointed and they headed in that direction. They noticed soon that they are being followed. Mira and another grey-haired human girl from the Brawlers were running after them. They pretended not to see until they came to a place without people. They turned around to face the two girls.

"Spectra," Mira called out, allowing the other girl to realize who are they dealing with.

"Oh boy," she gasped but recovered quickly. "Aren't you guys hot in those coats?" A confident smirk made its way on Gus' face. He was sure that master Spectra would be even hotter if he took the coat off.

"We meet again," Spectra smiled, ignoring her question. 

"But how? We transported both of you back to New Vestroia," Mira wondered. Gus could not help but be proud of his master and the way he redirected the transporter in the last second.

"Want to know how? We were able to triangulate on Dan Kuso's gauntlet and redirect our transporter gate to his location. And presto, here we are."

"So what do you want this time?" She demanded. _Why is she even asking? They were very clear about their objective earlier._

"As I said, I want you all to join me," Spectra repeated.

"You know my answer," she frowned stubbornly. This reaction surprised Gus a bit. Earlier, she seemed to be interested in their offer. He wondered if she actually changed her mind or whether it was just acting to convince herself. 

"Do not be foolish, we both want to destroy the man who is holding the Bakugan. Prince Hydron is the true villain here," Spectra tried to convince her.

"How do we know that you're telling us the truth? Everyone knows that you're prince Hydron's stooge," she said and Gus rolled his eyes. This was a common misconception, but the reality was different. If something, Spectra was very close to king Zenoheld, but he could not care less about Hydron.

"I only infiltrated prince Hydron's inner circle to find the truth." Gus tilted his head to the left and turned his gaze towards Spectra. _'The truth'? What truth? He never told him anything about that. And now he tells her without hesitation?_ The only thing Gus knew was from when he once asked his master to explain his close relationship with the king, even though he is planning to overthrow him. His answer was simple: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer." Gus remembered that sentence very well. What confused him, though, was the fact that Mira seemed to recognize it as well.

"Keith?" She gasped. 

"Who's Keith?" Julie vocalized Gus' thoughts.

"It's you, isn't it? You've got to tell me!" She insisted. Gus stepped back, eyes wide as he realized: She knew something about Spectra he did not. He could feel a bond between the two of them. Sure, she was leading the Resistance even before Gus joined the Vexos and she faced Spectra in numerous battles (and never won) but that was not it. "Tell me or I'll wipe that smile off your face! Why won't you answer?" It sure did sound like they were very close. When Spectra usually spoke to people, he looked down on them and showed clearly that he is the one in charge, that he is superior. He did this to Gus for many years when they worked together and only stopped about a year ago. But he did not do that to Mira now when there was barely any audience. Gus would really like to ask him about it, but he did not want to push him into anything. "You want to keep playing your little games? Okay then. I challenge you to a brawl! And if I win you have to take off that mask!" Gus may not know what kind of relationship do these two have, but he knew one thing: No one except for him has the right to see his master without the mask. NO ONE.

"No way!" He retorted immediately, but to his surprise, Spectra stopped him.

"Very well, I accept your challenge. However, if I win, you will join me and the Vexos against prince Hydron," he smirked. Gus was glad, too. No one would be stupid enough to accept conditions like that. She could lose everything she worked for while Spectra will only show her his face she might not even recognize.

"Okay, you've got a deal." _What? Does she really want to unmask him so badly she would accept these conditions? Why?_ Gus decided to take things into his own hands. He stepped in front of Spectra.

"One other condition. You will battle me." He drew his gauntlet.

"But that's not what I agreed to!"

"Cheater!" 

"Too bad. Master Spectra does not waste his skills on a lightweight like you. Do you want to battle him? You have to get through me. You should thank me. There is no way you would even come close to beating New Vestroia's number one brawler. At least this way you have a chance, right?" Gus did not think that she could come close to beating New Vestroia's number two either, but why is she trying to get master Spectra's attention all the time? He will look at him, not at her.

"So it is settled, then. You will battle Gus in my stead." Gus was happy to receive his master's support. 

_'My master. My boyfriend. Hands off.'_

"Okay then, but stick around. As soon as I win, I'm taking that mask off," she agreed reluctantly, taking her gauntlet. 

\---

The battle was very stressful. The pressure on Gus was crushing. He had to defend his master's name, honor and reputation and make sure she does not see him without the mask.

"Show them your power, Gus."

But what if he wins and she joins the Vexos? That would be a catastrophe! 

"An impressive opening, Gus."

She would follow master Spectra the same way he does, and since she appears to be closer to him than Gus could ever hope to, he will no longer be needed. 

"One trick is not enough to win a battle. Or is it, Gus?"

Is that her goal? Does she want to replace Gus in Spectra's heart? Yes, that must be it. She likes him and wants to be with him. But that will not happen. Gus will not let that happen. 

"Time to sink or swim, Gus."

Besides, master Spectra loves him, right? He would not abandon him just because of... a girl. Oh, right. She is a girl. Gus is not.

"Careful, Gus, she is not giving up."

He will not give up either. He will fight. He will make master Spectra look only at him.

Gus lost on purpose. Master Spectra showing his face to these two girls is still better than she joining them and the two of them being separated. Yes, Gus was being a little selfish, but whatever. He is the one and only for master Spectra. 

"I am sorry, master Spectra," Gus lied and hated himself for it. Spectra appeared to be surprised, but not disappointed.

"Not so fast! You're not backing down on the deal you made with Mira!" Mira was walking towards them. Gus wanted to believe in master Spectra and the fact that they will just retreat, never see the Brawlers again and live happily together forever. He was convincing himself that master Spectra loves him, not Mira, and he is not going to betray him. "Mira won fair and square, thanks to crybaby here." That is not true. He is better for master Spectra than her. 

"No, master! The loss is mine, not yours! Do not let her unmask you!" Gus immediately regretted his decision. _She cannot see master Spectra's face! She is unworthy of his beauty, and if she sees those wonderful eyes of his, she will irreversibly fall for him, just like Gus did._

"So, what do you say? Are you a man of your word?" Mira was now standing right in front of him.

"Do not do it! Let us just leave here and go back to New Vestroia!" Gus regretted this sentence immediately after it left his lips. He sounded like a very dumb and childish jealous girlfriend.

"You sure are a sore loser, I guess you Vexos really aren't trustworthy. Dan was right about you guys." 

"Master, no!" 

"Come on, show me your face!"

"A promise is a promise." Spectra reached for his mask. "Maybe this will prove that I am a friend of the Bakugan and something more to you." He took it off. Gus clenched his jaw. There was no way he will let her win. But for now, he had to bear with it. He believed in his master. He will get an explanation someday.

"It is you... Keith... but why?" She gasped, but Spectra only turned around and left. Gus followed him along with so many questions he wanted to ask, but stayed quiet for now.

\---

Gus did not say a word ever since the battle. He seemed to be thinking about something.

"Look, Gus, we can stay in this abandoned storage house."

"Hm." They entered and when the door closed and Spectra was sure that no one is listening to them, he put his mask and coat on one of the boxes inside and spoke:

"Gus, I know you want to ask me something." He was worried. Gus usually talked a lot and this silence was awful. Gus looked into his eyes. 

"I do not understand this, master Spectra. Please explain it to me. She is our enemy, yet you let your guard down in front of her so easily. You talk to her as if she was your equal automatically," he said, his voice shaking slightly. His eyes were wide open and filled with so many emotions that Spectra was unable to name any of them.

"So this is what you have been thinking about the whole battle? No wonder you lost." Spectra meant for his tone to be playful, but could not bring himself to. As his boyfriend, he was supposed to make him happy, but he did the complete opposite. His guts twisted from the amount of guilt he felt as Gus continued to accuse him.

"I have worked hard and for a long time to earn your trust. It took years for you to allow me to see you like this, yet in front of her, you did not hesitate even for a second! I do not know what does she have and I do not, but I guess since she is at least female, she is better for you." Gus crossed his arms and sat down on one of the boxes around them grumpily. That last sentence caught Spectra's attention. Now he finally understood what was going on. And when he looked at Gus, stubbornly glaring at a wall in front of him, everything clicked together. 

"Are you jealous?" He asked with narrowed eyes and a smirk after he leaned on a box behind Gus and brought their faces closer.

"No." Gus said, but it was obvious that this was not the case. Spectra pulled back a little.

"Gus, I think you are lying to me right now. Answer my question honestly," he said, mock-offended.

"Maybe a little." Gus' cheeks were burning red. Spectra could not help but blush as well. He has never seen Gus act this way, but it was adorable. He leaned over and kissed him. His lips slowly touched Gus' and he made sure to put all of his feelings into it. He could basically hear Gus' heart racing, but he was still too stubborn to kiss back. Spectra stopped, but their faces were still centimeters away from each other. 

"Gus, you are my one and only. I love you the most and I will never let you get away from me. There is no one closer to me than you. Do not forget that," he promised, completely serious.

"But she-" Gus started and Spectra felt that guilt again, but he was not sure if he is ready to tell Gus his story just yet.

"Forget about her, please. Just believe me if I say that you are the one I love and that will never change," he pleaded and Gus' expression finally softened.

"I believe you, master," he finally gave in. Spectra tried to kiss him again, but his effort was in vain. The good old Gus was back and there was no way he would allow himself to be kissed. Instead, he placed his hands around Spectra's waist and made him lay down on the boxes. He leaned over Spectra and kissed him. A smirk crawled onto Spectra's face. He knew Gus will not be able to resist him for long.

He also knew that he will have to tell Gus about Mira and his family one day, but he was not ready yet to do so. He was afraid. But why? Gus was right. He lowered his guard in front of his sister immediately, his mask did not help him. It felt like she already knew, but how could she find out? Is he still the same as before? No, he has changed. He is now Spectra Phantom, the mighty leader of the Vexos. Yet right now, he did not feel mighty or powerful at all. He was lost in a foreign world, and he had nothing. He had Gus, yet someone was missing. He felt alone. There was a space in his heart even Gus could not fill. He did not like to admit it, but he missed his sister. His mother as well.

This realization made him subconsciously break the kiss. Gus pulled away with surprise in his green eyes, but when he saw Spectra's expression, surprise turned into concern.

"Master Spectra?" Spectra turned his face away. Gus moved back to free him immediately, afraid to have made a mistake. Spectra did not like making him worried and pushing him away like this, but it was for the best. If he told him what his true intentions behind becoming the king of Vestal were, he would probably hate him for using him for his selfish goal.

"It is nothing. Goodnight." 

He felt Gus carefully covering him with his jacket and went to sleep. His last thought before falling asleep was that he does not deserve to have someone like Gus.

\---

_Gus and Spectra are in the same room. It is white, empty and quiet, except for one thing. There is a wall between them and they are kissing through a hole in that wall. And even though this hole is big enough for Gus to see Spectra's face, it is still a cold stone wall, five meters high and a meter thick. They managed to put one stone away to see each other, but what about the others? Gus felt that if Spectra held his hand, he would be able to turn all the stones into the sand with the other. He reaches for Spectra's hand trough the hole and his warm fingers slip between Gus'. And then he realizes that they are not alone. That girl from yesterday, Mira, is standing at Spectra's side, placing new stones to replace those Gus had broken. He wants her to leave, but she is hiding behind master Spectra, wrapping her arms around Spectra's waist. Gus squeezes Spectra's hand, but he cannot feel it anymore. It is not there anymore. Now, his hands are holding hers. And they stand up and walk away. Gus collapses on the ground._

When Gus woke up, it was freezing cold. He looked outside and he saw the sun lazily climb above the horizon. It made the ocean look like a pool of liquid fire. All the shades of red and orange... Their colors, Gus realized. He wished he could show this to master Spectra as well, but he did not want to wake him up because of something stupid like this.

He looked upset yesterday. Was it something he said? No, master Spectra would have told him. Gus knew that they definitely were not saying each other everything, that there were still some secrets between them, and he regretted that fact. He wanted to know what made master Spectra so sad. He did not want to see him sad. He wanted to see him smile. That was all he ever wanted. Not only because his smile was beautiful, but also because he wanted him to be happy. He did not know what happened to Spectra in his past, but he supposed that it was nothing pleasant. And he wanted to know. He wanted Spectra to tell him. 

His stomach growled and he realized that they have not eaten for quite a while. Did they eat something yesterday? No, they forgot. Not good. Gus has to find some food. But where? He closed the door and left. 

Earth in the early morning was much more beautiful than in the afternoon. Everyone was sleeping, the streets were empty and quiet. And there was so much free space. Earth was apparently not as overpopulated as Vestal. On the other hand, their architecture looked horrible. The houses were just grey boxes of concrete and glass. And the worst thing: They all looked the same.

 _Just what is this cursed place?!_ Gus has been trying to find a shop for hours and there are only apartment buildings here. Every single street looked the same! Well, it is the same on Vestal, but he was at least able to read the signs there. Earth used some weird script Gus was not able to decipher no matter how hard he tried. People started to get out of their houses and go to work, supposedly. Gus found out after a while that they are walking more or less in the same direction. Then, Gus saw an old fat woman with short thin grey hair wearing a horrible something vaguely resembling a dress carrying an empty bag. She must be going shopping. Gus followed her. 

Thank the Ancients, she was going shopping. The shop was a very big building. Like very, very big. There were plastic baskets behind the door. Everyone was taking one, so Gus did as well. He walked through the aisles, trying to look for some food. 

Walking around the shop was one big lesson of Earth culture for Gus. There were so many things. Most of them did not even seem to be useful for something. When he found food, there was no big difference. Why do humans need such a variety of food? 

Due to the limited space, vestals mostly plant food at home, but there are also plantages on the roofs, indoors and in parks. They mostly plant vegetables and grain. The variety of kinds is also small: salad, tomatoes, capsicums, sunflowers, different types of green leaves and beans. They make bread as well, so sandwiches and salads are the most typical meals.

Another weird thing was something Gus stumbled upon in the freezers. Aside from being weird, it was really horrifying. Body parts wrapped in plastic foil, still with traces of blood on them. _Was that meat? Do humans eat each other or what?_ Gus decided to just leave, frightened and disgusted.

Luckily, Gus managed to find something resembling sandwiches in the end, except the bread was white. _How can bread be white?_ Gus just picked something that looked edible. There was a cup with a picture of corn, so he took it. He also added to his basket some brown round fist-sized thingy that vaguely resembled bread (and it had normal brown color). Then, he saw small colorful boxes with pictures of fruits and a small plastic tube glued to the side. He took it into his hand and shook it a little. He heard a liquid inside. Could it be... juice? Fruit on Vestal was too rare to drink them, so fruit juice was something for the royal family only. And here, any commoner can buy it? Amazing! He put two boxes in his basket, one orange juice, one apple juice.

He walked into a place where people were apparently paying and leaving. They put the things from their baskets onto the table in front of a man sitting behind an ancient-looking computer. He scanned the goods and they put it into a brown bag. Then, the man told them a number, they paid and left. Simple enough. 

Except Gus did not have any money. He gripped the handle of his basket. He put so much effort into this, there is no way he is backing out now. He needed a plan. Or not? Master Spectra never needed a plan for everything to turn out in his favor. 

He stepped between the people only to be immediately pushed back.

"Hey, get in line, miss," a voice warned him. Gus looked up. It was a man about 145 years old and about a head taller than he was. But the way he got addressed surprised him. Maybe the word _'miss'_ has a different meaning on Earth. Or the man was just confused with his hairstyle. Gus had heard from his parents many times that he should just cut it. He did not have time to think about it, because the man was still frowning at him from above. He decided to avoid unnecessary conversation and leave the man with his misunderstanding. 

"I'm sorry, sir, my mistake," he smiled apologetically and stepped back behind the man. 

After a while, it was his turn to pay, and he still had no idea what to do.

"Good morning, sweetie," the cashier purred. Gus was officially Disgusted™. The man was not only like ten years younger than Gus, but he was also fat, really ugly and he had some metal thing on his teeth, gross. Gus ignored the fact that he was just called a woman again because a little plan was forming in his head. He just has to be a convincing actor. Or, more accurately, a convincing actress.

"Good morning," he answered with a sweet smile, putting everything on the table. The cashier scanned it.

"It's ten dollars. Hey, how about a date with me?" He asked with a grin. Gus ignored that question and focused on his performance. He put his hand into his pocket, then made a surprised look and patted his pants from the outside.

"Oh no, I forgot my purse," he sighed, slumping his shoulders and grabbing the brown bag as if he wanted to go put the wares back into the shelves. "If my head wasn't attached to my body, I'd forget it on my bedside table, I swear. Now I gotta go all the way home and then back here. And dad's gonna be so mad when I come home empty-handed," he muttered for himself but loud enough for everyone around to hear as he dragged his feet back into the shop. Luckily, the cashier took pity on him.

"Don't worry about it, babe, I'll pay it for you. You can just give it back to me the next time you come here, 'kay?" He winked. Gus turned around, giving him a completely honest, grateful smile.

"Thanks, that helps me a lot! See you!" He waved at him and left as quickly as he could, not even bothering to listen to his response.


	6. Torn apart

\- Revision: What have we already found out about Vestal society?  
\--Love  
\--Time  
\--Who rules where  
\--Weather  
\--Age  
\--Food

\- What will we learn today? School and work.  
\--There are three types of schools on Vestal: high, middle and low. At the age of eighteen, vestal children try their best to get into a high school. If they fail the exams, they try on middle school next year, and if they fail again, they go to a low school. There are multiple high schools, but it does not matter which one you visit because they are all the same, just in different parts of the planet, and the same goes for middle and low schools. This separates them into three levels of intelligence. 

The jobs are separated like this as well. It is not that simple to get a job on Vestal. Every workplace has a set number of positions. There are two to four people for one position and they are switching to cover all 24 hours every day. 

All vestals finish their basic education at school at thirty five. After that, they have time until forty five to choose a position to apply for. If there are two or three people on that position, he can join them immediately and study in practice and work at the same time. At the age of seventy, they become full-fledged workers and adults.

There are universities for vestals too, but just for doctors, scientists and such. They can voluntarily visit it after their work to study some more theory. It is recommended, but not necessary.

(I hope it makes sense...)

~Episode 68 - Show me the power!~

Spectra woke up from a bad dream. He had no idea what the dream was, but he had a feeling that he will be better off not knowing. He had a lot on his mind, so he went out for a walk. 

He could not stop thinking about the Brawlers Resistance. And his sister. Why did they refuse to join him? Why do they always refuse anything he proposes? It is so difficult to negotiate with children. Their way of thinking is totally different. They fight for their friends and that is what makes them stronger?

It started raining. Spectra could not remember how long has it been since he was outside in rain, but it was very long. At that time, he lived in Alpha City with his sister. He worked in his father's lab and went to a science university. Yet he never was interested in science. It was just something he knew he'll need to achieve his goal. When he finished basic education, he knew what he has to do. He thought that the way king Zenoheld rules Vestal is wrong. He never said it out loud. He just worked silently pretending to be a normal citizen and collecting pieces. He knew he has to be more powerful than the king to overthrow him. Five years later, he had the power of science on his side, two things were missing. The powers of Bakugan and people. That's why he decided to leave his identity behind and try his luck with a new name, new look and new boss, king Zenoheld, his nemesis himself. He became a legend ever since his very first match in the arena. He knew the powers of Bakugan from his work in the lab and he was able to draw them out. And Helios was the best Bakugan he could ever wish for. He had a lot of potential inside of him, but had no idea and tried to get more powerful, but all the power just hid somewhere inside of him and since he could not use it, he felt as weak as ever. But Spectra was able to see all of his power and forced him into using it. Helios found out he was more powerful than he thought, and became obsessed with gaining more power, just like Spectra. They crushed every opponent with ease and Spectra forgot about his family. All he needed was power. He hid his past and his emotions behind a mask he never meant to take off. But his sister did. And now, he was more confused than ever. Does he need the power of friendship? No. All he needed was the power of the Perfect Core. The one that Drago possesses. And if he won't give it to him willingly, he will have to take it by force.

"You spend too much time thinking of the past. What's done is done. Luckily, I can tell you what your future holds in my crystal ball. Oh, it's really bad. You will suffer a terrible fate if you stay on the path you've chosen." Oh, really? You don't say. Spectra just laughed. He knew that very well.

\---

Gus had no idea what to do. Where could master Spectra have wandered off to? What if he got lost? What if he is freezing somewhere? What if he got hurt? What if he died? As much as Gus knew him, he could have gone anywhere. He did anything he wanted. He acted based on spontaneous decisions leading to his goal. Gus believed in his master and knew he will be fine. Or did he? Doubts started crawling onto Gus's mind. What if Spectra is somewhere with that girl, Mira? Walking in the streets... Hand in hand... Talking with each other... Then, suddenly, he confesses his feelings to her... Kisses her... The same soft sweet kisses Gus used to get... She was into Spectra as well... For sure... The whole time... Why else would she insist on him taking of the mask... She would definitely kiss him back... And he will stay with her... Leaving Gus behind... In this strange place... All alone... And even if they all managed to get back, Spectra will join the Resistance... He will be forced to fight against him... Mylene would become the leader of the Vexos... Would he even be able to do that? No, he would have no reason to stay with the Vexos if master Spectra was not there. He would follow him into the Resistance. But master will not need him anymore... He would be just a nuisance from the past... He would have better allies... His beloved girlfriend Mira... And Dan Kuso... And the others as well... Gus should have seen this coming... This was the reason Spectra came to Earth... And when Gus wanted to go with him, he decided to ditch him here... And Spectra will live a happy life with Mira... And marry her... And have children... She will give him everything Gus could not. He should be happy for him, but he was a horribly selfish person. He wanted master Spectra all for himself. He will make sure no one will ever touch him. Not even her... But she sure is touching him right now... Maybe she even took of his shirt to touch his... bare chest... 

Gus' heart was beating faster and faster. The feeling of being betrayed and jealousy were slowly killing him. He has never been in more pain than right now. He felt like his heart was breaking into pieces. Suddenly, Spectra was there. In front of the door. But Gus was neither happy nor relieved. He was frightened.

"Master! I thought you ditched me! You shouldn't go out on your own, this world is so strange! I thought you got hit by a bus or something! You should have called me, or left a note, master!" Gus had to know what was all of this about.

"Since when are you my mother, Gus?" Spectra's words calmed him a bit. This is the sarcasm he always had. But Gus had to find out more. He hated the fact he knew nothing. He decided to approach cautiously, though. It would be bad to start an argument with master Spectra now.

"Since never. But you keep me completely in the dark. You treat those Battle Brawlers with more respect. I don't get why we need to have them on our side. I'm as good a brawler as any of them except Dan Kuso." Gus wanted to say more, but he was interrupted.

,,You don't get it, Gus. It's not the Battle Brawlers that we need. It's the power of their Bakugan. I'm tired of waiting. Make contact with Dan Kuso. I tried to make him see reason, now I will have to take his Pyrus Dragonoid by force." Spectra was right. Gus did not get it. At all. He tried to follow his master's train of thought. Even though he did not understand completely, he trusted his decision. There was some logic behind it, and he knew that master Spectra is smarter than anyone else.

Gus knew for sure that Spectra is going to battle Dan. He was there when he sent the message. But there was something fishy.

"Why can't I go with you? If something goes wrong, you might need me and Vulcan!" Gus had his doubts.  
"Did you truly believe that I can't defeat one foolish earthling?" Gus had no idea what to say. This sentence, the tone, the way he looked at him... It made him believe again. He regained his trust towards his master. All the power and authority emitting out of him... Gus was reminded of why was he following Spectra the whole time. How could he ever wish to be his equal? He was way out of his league. There was no way but to obey him. He could not even look into his eyes. The respect he felt forced him to bow his head and fall on his knees.

"N-no! No way! Dan Kuso is no match for your devastating power, master Spectra. Forgive me. I was just kidding." It may have only sounded like an empty flattery, but he meant what he said. 

"Glad to hear it, Gus." Gus was also glad. Everything was back to normal. He stopped worrying about himself and began to worry about master Spectra. 

"It's bad weather for a Pyrus battle."

"We are not afraid of a little rain, right, Helios?"

"No rain could douse the flames that burn within me!" Spectra was very pleased with that answer. He felt an opportunity to try something. 

"You are eager for a rematch!"

"Yes. The Dragonoid would never have defeated me without the power of the Perfect Core. I must have revenge!" 

\---

The fight ended. Naturally, Spectra won. Well, it was not natural. He used the Forbidden Ability Cards, and those are everything but natural. 

'Poor Dan.' What was that voice? Spectra looked around him. He could not see anyone. Then where did that voice come from? It sounded somehow familiar. 'Poor Helios. The Card must have caused him terrible pain.'

'Helios is strong enough to endure it. Besides, he asked me to use the Card.' Spectra answered the voice in his head and decided to ignore it.

'No, he did not. And I have come to talk with you, so do not dare ignore me, Spectra!' Spectra realised who is he talking to.

'What do you want?'

'You mean, what do YOU want, Spectra?'

'I do not want anything from you.'

'You do. You want answers. You were doubting yourself. You wanted to know whether you have changed or not. And I know the answer. You have changed. A lot. You are the opposite of me. I was kind, but you are cruel and uncaring. You are a heartless monster, Spectra.'

"Oh dear! Your future is even darker than before! You must have done something pretty terrible since the last time I saw you here." The fortune teller was too much for Spectra. 

"I've heard enough, you foolish old woman!" Her ball cracked and split in half. She fell back. She knew what this means. 

'Why should I care what a fortune teller thinks? All that matters is reaching my ultimate goal! All that matters is the final victory!'

'Oh, really? And what about all the people you hurt? Dan has lost his lifetime partner, he must be pretty messed up. Mira is watching him and praying for me to return and for you to dissappear. Even the Vexos are in bad shape thanks to you gone and Mylene taking over as the leader. And if you do not care about them, how about Gus? He may be fine now, but do you know how much suffering have you caused him? You do know, but you do not care. You only care about yourself and bring people around you misery. If you continue like this...' Spectra could not listen to this any longer.

'Shut it, Keith!'


	7. Never mind

~Episode 69 - Dude, Where's my Bakugan? and Episode 70 - Gone, gone Bakugan~

Spectra peeked into the storage house. Gus was standing there with his back towards the door, lost in his thoughts. Spectra snuck behind him, hugged him from behind and placed his head on Gus's shoulder. Gus froze, but then he realised what is going on and relaxed.

"You won." He said without hesitation.

"I did." Even though this was a goal in their evil masterplan, they were both really happy. Gus turned around and hugged Spectra too. 

"You are amazing, master." He whispered into Spectra's ear and pulled away. "Let's scan him and see what he has to offer!" Spectra made a hurt face.

"Gus? Who is more important to you? Him or me?" Gus did not understand.

"What a silly question, master, of course it is you."

"Then why do you pay attention to him first? I want a reward for my victory." Spectra smiled and Gus was relieved. He thought he did something wrong. 

"I am truly sorry, master. It will not happen again."

"Just stop apologising and do it already."

"You should be more patient, master." Gus gave Spectra his long awaited kiss. They were holding each other tightly and never wanted to let go.

'I see. You actually love him. Who would guess that the merciless Spectra is capable of such emotions.'

'Be quiet, Keith.'

'I wanted to be the one to choose us a partner. But I will respect your choice. He is adorable, is he not?'

'Yes, he is, now leave us alone.'

'No, I mean it! How can a man be so attractive? This should be illegal! Not only he is intelligent, but a skilled brawler as well! And what is up with that cute attitude? He is always so loyal and obedient, but also protective and a little possessive! And a cute face and hot body at the top of it! So irresistible!'

'Right? He is gorgeous! And you forgot to mention his beautiful eyes, cute nose and sweet lips. And the hair you just want to touch.'

'I meant to say that with the 'cute face' part!'

'You and I both know that two words are not enough to describe his face!'

"Master Spectra, we should really get to work." Gus ended the kiss and pulled a little away to look into Spectra's eyes. 

'Awww, he is so cute!!'

"Who is the impatient one now?" Spectra smiled, but refused to let go.

"Well I am just guessing, but I think Dan Kuso will not wait until we are finished."

"And you were thinking about that while we were kissing?" 

"There was no way I could think about anything else but you at that moment, master." Gus smiled and let go. Spectra sighed and put his mask on. The mask contained among other things a special scanner synchronised with his gauntlet.

They analysed Drago and clouded his mind a little. 

"The Dragonoid is now mine, Gus. Yet I feel strangely unsatisfied."

"But master, now you can complete your plan to build the most powerful hybrid Bakugan ever created! Then you and I will remake New Vestroia in our own image." Spectra liked this mental image, but he liked the way Gus said 'you and I' even more. Gus was just about to lean over and kiss his master when the Brawlers appeared behind him.

"What the- ?"

"You finally found me. Took you long enough." Spectra hid his surprise under his confident smirk. He definitely did not expect Dan to come back so soon.

"What's the matter? Afraid to give me another shot? Cause after I shut you down I'm gonna take back Drago!" Gus was the first one to answer, standing protectively in front of his master.

"Nice try, whiners. You don't stand a chance against Spectra. No matter how many times you brawl."

"Then why don't you prove it!"

"You're not worthy of master Spectra!" Gus tried to avoid battle. Master Spectra was still tired and he did not want to risk. But Spectra's fire was the same as ever.

"I accept your challenge, Dan Kuso." Gus could not believe it. He was as reckless as ever.

"But why, master?"

"It's my chance to test the Dragonoid's power." Excuses. He just wanted to play with Dan. "What will you brawl with? I'm pretty sure I took your only Bakugan."  
"An ancient warrior Bakugan! Meet Apollonir!" Gus hoped that this will not discourage master Spectra.

"That old thing? You really think you can beat Spectra with a hand me down Bakugan?"

"Get ready to eat those words, Gus!" Apollonir laughed. Gus tried to make Dan angry on purpose, but he did not expect it to work on Apollonir too.

"Spectra, you know it doesn't have to be this way! Unless you recognise the Bakugan as living beings, we'll never stop fighting to free them!" That girl was getting on Gus's nerves. He looked at his master to see his reaction. But he did not seem to care about her.

"Have it your way."

In the battle, Gus was watching every Spectra's move.

It is rare for him to pull out Maximum Quasar right at the beginning. He was really going all out.

No way! Helios has been defeated!

After Spectra took out Drago and used the Forbidden Card, Gus was seriously scared. Spectra was like a completely different person now that he was holding so much power. He was getting carried away. 

"Fusion ability activate: Neo Legend X!"

'Spectra! Stop it! You are overdoing it! This is too much even for Drago!'

"If the Dragonoid does not survive it just means he wasn't worthy. Then I will just have to find another Bakugan who is!" Spectra answered Keith and Dan at the same time.

\---

Dan won. Gus knew he should not, but he just had to say 'I said it!'

"What are we going to do now that Drago is gone?"

"Never mind. I got all the data I needed, Gus. The next time Dan Kuso and I meet, things will go differently. See you later, Battle Brawlers."


	8. Roots

\- Revision: What have we already found out about Vestal society?  
\--Love  
\--Time  
\--Who rules where  
\--Weather  
\--Age  
\--Food  
\--School and work

\- What will we learn today? Internet.   
\--Every working vestal (Let’s not think about homeless and unemployed people, ok? There are not many on Vestal.) has a communication device like the one Spectra and Mira use when they are calling each other. This device grants them access to their 'Internet'. Vestals do not have books, art, music, movies or other things you can do just for fun. On Vestal, one can either eat, sleep, work, study or hang out with others. Their work is a vestal's hobby and favourite activity. Their 'Internet' is the same. It is separated into two parts, Government Network System (GNS) and Public Network System (PNS). 

The GNS is something like Facebook where everyone has an account. You can find there a profile for every vestal alive and those who died just recently. There are informations like name, address, birthdate, workplace, education, family and everything else. All of these informations are public, since this is also a citizen database. You have to update your profile picture at least once a year and your informations immediately after their change. A profile is created for every newborn child, and they get their device when they finish school. You can also make calls, write messages, post things there and follow people, and if they follow you back you are friends. Everyone has to follow the king and the other royal family members, sice all of his announcements are made through this network. The administrator of GNS is supposed to be the king, but Zenoheld gave this task to Spectra. 

The PNS is a huge structured library. You can find any informations there, since this network is where all of Vestal knowledge is being stored. Anyone can contribute to it, but an addition has to be checked by multiple people and the administrator (which is currently Gus). All things there are objective and unpersonal. Schools use this network for studying materials and to publish grades.

(I know that there is no privacy. They just do not require it. No one would ever think of misusing the informations.)

~Episode 71 - Family Ties~

They knew that they cannot stay in the storage house anymore. They decided to go for a walk together.

"Losing the battle changes my plans. Things will be more difficult now that Drago has returned to Dan Kuso. But we don't need him anymore. That battle with Apollonir allowed me to record all of Drago's data into my gauntlet. However, I can't do anything with it here." Spectra summed up their situation.

"Then I guess we'll have to find a way back to New Vestroia." Gus agreed.

"I have an idea." Gus somehow felt that Spectra is not going to tell him what the idea is.

"I won't be sorry to go. I want out. I really do hate this place." Gus really did. But only because of that girl. If they leave and she will stay here, he will not have to worry about losing master Spectra.

"Leave it to me." 

"What about that weasel, Lync?"

"I'm tempted to leave him stranded on this planet, but he may still be useful to us."

"He's prince Hydron's spy. We can use that to our advantage. When we're done with him, I'll deal with Lync personally."

"Don't worry, I have plans for our little traitor."

Spectra did have an idea of how to get home, but it was a risky one.

'Do you really think she will do it, Keith?' 

'As far as I know her, yes. I think she will.'

And she did. Spectra's communication device signalised an incoming voice-only call from his little sister. Gus saw her face on the display with disgust. Here she was, trying to steal his master again.

"Keith?" She asked as Spectra accepted the call. Gus was confused. Was this his master's real name? Does that mean he knew her since long time ago?

"I am Spectra." He answered with a cold voice. Gus felt so happy every time he rejected her.

"I- I want to join you." Gus suddenly felt the urge to crush the communication device.  
"Oh, really?" Spectra smiled. He smiled at the thought of her joining them! Gus did not feel anger anymore. There was just disappointment, jealousy and a breaking heart again.

"The Brawlers are leaving for New Vestroia with Apollonir tomorrow at sunrise from the bottom of that tower in the middle of the city." 

"Tomorrow morning at 6 am. I hope you'll be there, Mira. I always knew that deep in your heart you were really a Vexos, my dear sister."

"You know this isn't a joke, Keith. You're my brother. I just want to be with you." She ended the call in a hurry. It seemed like someone was watching her. Gus was not even happy about leaving anymore. Just the image of her standing at master Spectra's side and he could not feel anything but sadness.

"You will let her join us, will you not?" Gus sounded sadder than he meant to. He was looking at the ground, refusing to look into Spectra's face.

"Is there anything wrong, Gus?" Spectra sounded worried. Gus tried to push his luck.

"Who is she to you?" He asked. This question took Spectra by surprise. Gus was definitely not joking, but did he not notice how she called him her brother multiple times already?

"She is my little sister." He answered. Gus could hear the smirk from his voice.

"Your sister?" Gus looked into Spectra's eyes. He has taken off his mask.

"What is it? You were jealous?" Spectra thought about this situation as very funny. 

"No, I was not." Gus gave his typical answer.

"Maybe you should." Spectra was obviously just messing with him, but Gus did not notice.

"Why?" He asked. 

"When we were younger, we used to sleep together in the same bed." Yes, Spectra was messing with him. Gus decided to turn it against him, but the idea that came to his mind was really rude to say out loud. Yet he did.

"We could too." He was looking at his toes again and his face was bright red as he spoke. Much to his surprise, this was an embarrassing situation even for Spectra. 

"Yes, we will." He agreed, blushing. Gus could not believe how cute Spectra was when he was shy. They were now on a roof of some building and no one could see them, so he kissed him.

This time it was Spectra to interrupt the kiss.

"I'd like to send a message to our friend in Russia."

"That can be arranged." Gus sent one of his spies out and while it was travelling, he turned to Spectra. "Have you been thinking about him the whole time we were kissing?" He joked the same way Spectra did before.

"Gus, you know that in your presence I can hardly think of anything else but you." Gus repeated this sentence over and over in his head during the whole time Spectra was talking with Lync. He has always loved the way master Spectra said his name. It felt as if he wanted the word to stay on his lips as long as possible, because it just tasted delicious. Gus felt the same way when he said 'master Spectra'. They did not need any pet names for each other, because their names alone were already carrying out that purpose. 

"Master Spectra?" Gus asked as Spectra finished his call, enjoying the taste of those words. "I love you." Spectra's expression softened as he took off his mask and coat.

"I love you too, Gus. Come on, let's go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow." Gus put his coat on the icy cold concrete roof and let Spectra lay down on it. He felt so rude when he laid down by his side, just a few centimetres away. They covered themselves with Spectra's coat. Spectra shivered. "I am so cold." He whispered. Gus hugged him. It suddenly felt so natural to be sleeping like this, as if he needed Spectra's hand as a pillow his entire life.  
"Gus?" Spectra whispered. Their mouths were just millimetres from each other, so Gus could feel his lips moving.

"Yes?"

"I want to tell you the whole story about me." Gus suddenly felt terrible for forcing him to do it.

"You do not have to if you do not want to."

"I want you to know who I was."

'Spectra, let me tell him our story.'

'Fine, Keith, go on. But I want the body back afterwards. Gus is mine.'

'But in exchange, you will not hurt Mira.'

'It's a promise.'

"My name was Keith Fermin."

"As in, the son of professor Clay Fermin?" 

"That is correct. I lived with him and my sister, worked in his lab and went to a science university. But it was not a happy life to me. It was full of lies. My mother died, and the GNS refused to let me know the circumstances. I found several other people whose death details were hidden. I have a feeling Zenoheld has something to do with it. I thought that the way he rules Vestal was wrong even before, but this was the last thing I could take. I decided that I will become the king in his stead and stop him. For that, I needed three powers: the power of science, which I had, the power of Bakugan, which I found in Helios and Drago, and the power of people, which I yet have to earn." Spectra took over again. He was worried that Gus will leave him now that he knows what is this all about. "Now I know that there was one more thing I needed but I did not know. The power of love. I need you. Please promise you will stay with me." Gus smiled. 

"Master, I already promised this and I will do so again as many times as you want me to. I promise to stay with you forever and never leave your side at any cost."

"I love you, Gus."

"I love you too, master Spectra." With these words on their lips and their heartbeats synchronised, they fell asleep.


	9. Dinner with the devil

\- Revision: What have we already found out about Vestal society?  
\--Love  
\--Time  
\--Who rules where  
\--Weather  
\--Age  
\--Food  
\--School and work  
\--Internet

\- What will we learn today? Hairstyles and eye colours.  
\--In other words: How did Spectra dye his hair and how does he or Shadow keep their hair in the shape they are. (Everyone wants to know, right?)

You may have noticed that vestal hair and eyes are more colourful than their human equivalent. (Let’s forget about Runo and her blue-haired family.) That may look like a normal thing on Vestal, but actually, this trend was created just a few years ago because of an invention by Keith Fermin. It was his first and last work before he mysteriously dissappeared. 

And how does it work? Vestal people have a very special cell on the back of their head. It it outside the skull, which makes it easy to access. If you change the genetical information inside of that cell, the change spreads through the entire body. In other words, they can change their DNA according to their wish. But, just like humans, vestals were not yet able to fully analyse which part of their DNA does what, so this change is only safe for changing hairstyles and eye colours. Keith tested it on himself to change his hair colour to blonde and make them spike up like this. So he does not have to spend hours every morning putting a ton of hair gel on, because his hair looks like this 'naturally'.

~Episode 71 - Family Ties, Episode 72 - Beta City Blues and Episode 73 - Brotherly love~

"Should I assume your answer is 'yes'?" Asked Spectra when Lync appeared in front of them.

"Great Spectra, thanks for the invite, you're lucky I've decided to take you up on your offer, but I want rewards." His annoying voice was hurting Gus's eardrums.

"You weasel, it is an honour for you to serve master Spectra! Show some respect or I'll teach it to you!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, Gus." Lync laughed. "What is the plan?"

"Just watch." Spectra answered.

They waited until Apollonir opened the gate.

" 'Kay, let's roll guys!" Dan ordered his team.

"Sorry, you're not going anywhere." Gus jumped right between them and the gate and closed them into a cage. He wished he could put Mira there as well, but his master ordered him to keep her outside. The Brawlers tried to insult them, but they obviously did not understand that that will not help them get out. Then, they noticed that they are missing one member.

"Mira, you're free!"

"I'm sorry about this. I have no choice. My place is beside my brother." Gus felt like he was going to be sick. He turned around and beckoned Lync to enter the gate. He did and Gus followed. Spectra and Mira were behind them.

They landed nearby Beta City. They expected the others to be there too, since this is Mylene's city and she is the one who is now probably leading the Vexos.

"Spectra, so you decided to grace us with your presence." Mylene obviously thought that she is still the leader.

"That's right. We had a little bit of help from one of the six ancient warriors." 

"Yeah, right, Gus." Volt said. Gus had a feeling they will not believe him, but he did not really care.

"Too bad. I thought you were stuck on that garbage planet for good." Shadow laughed. 

"Nice to see you guys too!" Lync answered. Spectra did not care about them.

"Any news, Mylene?" He did not expect a proper report from her, but it was kind of rude to answer with a question. 

"What is she doing here? You fool! That traitor has no business being here. Explain this." Everyone seemed to just notice her. Did they let their guard down when their leader was away so badly? 

"Mira Fermin has joined the Vexos. Accept it, or else!" Spectra did not intend to discuss about this.

"What?"

"Isn't that right, Mira?"

"He's right." Gus was enjoying her shocked face as Shadow showed her her teammates in coma. He had to admit that they did a good job while they were gone. However, Spectra seemed to be worried about her.  
"I am quite sure the Resistance is not far behind. I believe they will get here shortly. Be prepared for their arrival." Spectra ordered the servants.

He was not wrong. Dan and Baron arrived in few hours.

"So you found your way back. You should've learned by now, Dan Kuso. Staying in your world and minding your own business can save you so much suffering." Spectra welcomed them, left them to Mylene and Shadow and went after Mira. Gus stayed behind to watch.

Spectra expected Mira to be insecure about her decision at first. He knew that she was not the type to change her mind so quickly.

"Your old friends. You want to save them, right?"

"Yes." He went to the control panel and released them.

'Wow, I did not see that coming. Could it be that you are actually a good person, Spectra?'

'I am doing this to earn her trust and loyalty to me.'

'Yeah, right.' 

"You are in my debt, Mira."

"Thanks, but why, Keith?"

"I am not Keith, I am now Spectra Phantom!" Spectra was insulted that she thought he could not do anything good. 

Spectra did not bother to argue with Mylene. The blame for the loss of dimension controller Beta is going to fall on her. He and Gus went to Gamma City to visit professor Clay and give him their data on Drago. They left Mira in an appartement they owned there but did not use it often. She needed to be alone for a while and they did not need her in the lab. Professor Clay was very pleased with that data.

"Yes! Yes! Excellent! With this data I will finally be able to create the most powerful mechanical Bakugan in the entire realm!"

"Nonsense!" Interrupted Helios. "Yes, a mechanical Bakugan is strong, but only a cyborg Bakugan can be the ultimate in power."

"Helios, what are you saying? You wish to endure the transformation?" Spectra was surprised. 

"I understand that I can never revert back once it has begun. But it's worth the sacrifice, to become more powerful than all other Bakugan." Spectra was very proud of Helios. But he was not patient enough to stand there and watch the whole transformation.

"Gus, give Mira some appropriate dress. I want to eat with her." Gus was in pain as he answered.

"As you wish, master."

He made the other servants get him a dress for Mira, but went to pick her up himself to watch her. He still did not like her, how she messed with master Spectra's feelings. Every time he was thinking about her he looked confused and hurt and Gus did not like seeing him like this. 

"Hi, Gus." She greeted as he walked into her room. He did not like her and her tone indicated that she felt the same way about him.

"Get changed. Master Spectra wants to see you." He wished he could hit her in that surprised face of hers with that dress, but he just gave it to her, turned around and left. He waited in front of the room as she got dressed, then led her to the dining room. He was glad to see how much this dress did not suit her and quite sure that even he would look better in it.

"Leave us." Spectra ordered and Gus obediently left the room, only to press his ear onto the door to listen to every word.

\---

This was so not fair! Gus was slowly going crazy behind that door. He waited for ages to hear these words from master Spectra, and he told her right after she joined them! She did not do anything to prove her loyalty and already knows so much! Doesn't he also want to tell her that Gus is his boyfriend now? He blushed at that word. Boyfriend... W-well, anyway, he was angry at master Spectra. He told her so much and... Wait, what did she just say? How dare she insult master Spectra like this! She is so going to pay! He heard Spectra put on his mask and walk towards the door. He stepped back right before it opened. He bowed to Spectra and followed him. He decided to speak up.

"Was that wise, master Spectra? She's only been with the Vexos for a short time and you already told her so much."

"Interesting. So you were listening behind the door, Gus?" His tone send shivers down Gus's spine. He decided he will not lie to master Spectra. He never could.  
"I was. But I only did it because I am becoming worried about you." Gus tried to suppress his anger and jealousy, but it did not work.

"Don't bother. I can handle my own sister, Gus. She will come around eventually." Spectra was confident about this, but Gus was even more worried. What if 'eventually' is too late?

"And if she doesn't?" Spectra stopped walking and Gus froze. He just said something he shouldn't. 

"You underestimate the job ahead of us. We need Mira and the power of Bakugan on our side. And that's why, Gus, removing my mask is such a small price to pay." Gus's concern was bigger than his fear.

"But-"

'Spectra! Stop being so harsh! He is just worried about you!'

'I wasn't-'

'It sounded more cruel than you meant it to.'

'I am sorry, Keith.'

'Do not apologise to me, tell him.'

"All I ask is that you trust me. Do you think you can do that? I need to know." Trust him? Gus trusted him, but definitely not her. But the way he said it gave Gus confidence.

"Yes, master Spectra." They continued heading to the lab. Spectra's face softened.

"You look really cute when you are worried." He said quietly. Gus flushed and he continued. "I am sorry. You know I love you and that I did not mean it, right?"

"I do. I love you too, master." They continued walking, now hand in hand. 

Suddenly, Spectra let go.

"Master, what- ?"

"There is a camera around the corner." He explained shortly.

"How did you know?" Gus asked and Spectra sighed. 

"Gus, ask again and look into my eyes." Gus looked and realised what he meant. His mask. It contained a map of New Vestroia and all of the cities, along with all the security devices. How could he forget. It was not just a mask, more like super high-tech glasses connected with his brain, and it processed such a tremendous amount of data at such speed that it would make a normal person's brain explode. However, his did not.

"I remember that one time you connected that mask to the computer. Ever since then, I could not help but wonder: How can you handle wearing it? My head was spinning just from looking at the screen. I cannot imagine this being sent right into my brain." Gus said and Spectra smiled. 

"There you are, worrying about me again. It's okay. It hurt at the beginning, but I got used to all the informations running through my brain."

'I didn't.'

'Be quiet, Keith. You're dead and I am trying to do something romantic right now.'

'Ha ha.'

"But I am glad to take it off when we are together. Like that, I can only concentrate on you." Spectra's smile made Gus's heart beat faster.

"Oh, we are here." Spectra realised with disappointment. Their moment together has come to an end. Gus smiled and leaned to his ear.

"We have some work to do now. We can do that later." He whispered. Spectra remembered how they promised to sleep in the same bed and realised that they have yet to do so.

"Let's work hard and finish as soon as possible then." 

"Yes, master Spectra." They entered the laboratory and Helios's scream cut into their ears. Spectra checked his statistics.

"We need to weaken his immune system! His body is rejecting it! Stupid Clay! Gus, can you do that?"

"Right away." 

"Lower the sensitivity of his nervous system as well."

"Yes." Gus ran downstairs to the designated control panel. Helios's scream turned into a sigh of relief. Then he quietly waited for his new body parts to be attached.

Spectra's communication device beeped. He accepted the call.

"Spectra?"

"Mira?"

"I have an offer. Will you battle with me?"

"And what will happen if I do?"

"I am a Bakugan brawler. I will let the battle decide my future."

"Fair enough. Tomorrow morning on the battlefield then." Spectra ended the call. "Lucky girl. You will be the first to fall before my greatest creation. Isn't that right, Helios?" Gus appeared next to him shortly after. 

"It is finished, master! The transformation was a success!" He said happily. 

"Good work. Let's go to sleep, we will leave the rest to the servants." 

"Yes, master." They left the lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was thinking... (Nothing good can come out of that)  
> Is there a shipname for Spectra/Gus? Their names are so incompatible. I spent three math classes thinking about it and I have an idea:  
> (Be prepared to be amazed)  
> ~Vestal Destroyers~  
> Because, you know, it is the name of their ship, right? *wink wink*


	10. Painful awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week I had to write eight tests, so I had a lot of learning to procrastinate. I was rewatching Bakugan, and I realised that I forgot the juice in boxes scene! What a tragedy! So I added a scene to chapter 5.
> 
> Also, I read this fic called 'Vexos redemption AU' here on AO3. The author said that they did not understand why did Spectra kidnap Runo and stuff. I hate when people think Spectra is evil or stupid just because his intentions are hard to understand, so I added a new chapter 4, which covers the episodes I skipped. 
> 
> And, here is a new chapter! Enjoy!

"Master Spectra, I have a request for you." Gus asked. Spectra knew from his tone that he is going to say something cute and dumb, just like he always did, and he also knew that it would probably take his breath away. 

"What is it?" He asked with the same flirtatious tone.

"Well, since you gave my room to your sister, I need a place to sleep. So I am taking your bed."

"You will have to get there first, then." Spectra smirked and run to his room. Gus followed him at maximum speed, slowly catching up. 

Their hands touched the door at the same time. The sound of them running into the door at full speed woke up Mira in Gus's room next door. 

"I win!" She heard her brother. The pure childlike happiness in his voice confused her. She has never heard him like this before. Even when they were younger, he was always cool and confident. She has never seen him being competitive, or getting actually excited about winning. Who could he be talking to?

"No way! I was clearly first!" She heard Gus' voice. Him? She realised that she never really saw them interact with each other in her presence. Now she was curious about their relationship. She hoped she will find out in tomorrow's battle and listened carefully.

"Not a chance. I was ahead of you the whole time."

"You and I both know that I am faster."

"Like hell."

"Admit it, master. I touched the door first."

"Prove it."

"Let's take a look at the surveillance cameras, then. If you are so confident that you won."

"That's because I did." They entered the room and she could not hear them anymore.

"I'm being selfish, am I not, Wilda?" 

"What are you talking about, Mira?"

"I want Keith back, but he seems happier like this. With Gus. I'm just dragging him down."

"But remember what they did to the Bakugan!"

"I know, but he's still my brother. I want him to be happy. After we win tomorrow and Keith goes with us, do you think Gus'll follow him?"

"Do you want him to?"

"No. Yes... I don't know. If I want Keith to be my brother again, he can't go. But they seem to be best friends. I don't remember Keith having any friends before. What if he'll hate me for separating them? He'll miss him for sure."

"And what if he becomes friends with the Brawlers Resistance and forgets about him?"

"That sounds good! How about we go to sleep and see what happens after the battle?" 

"Sounds good. You won't be able to fight if you don't sleep."

"You're right. Goodnight, Wilda."

"Goodnight, Mira."

In the bedroom next door, no one was even thinking about sleeping. They both had their faces right in front of the computer screen, trying to figure out who won the race. They slowed the footage from the cameras as much as possible, but they still could not determine the winner. Spectra threw himself into the chair behind them and took his mask off.

"Let's call it a draw." He said tiredly. Gus turned around and leaned on the chair, their noses were almost touching.

"Oh, really? Does that mean we are sleeping in the same bed?" He was staring into Spectra's eyes, smirking.

"I guess." Answered Spectra, barely breathing, and closed his eyes, expecting a kiss. But Gus stood back up and he was left alone. When he open his eyes, he saw that Gus has already taken off his jacket and folded it on the night table. Then he took off his shirt. Spectra was left breathless, shamelessly staring at Gus' chest. It was not soft, but it was not too muscular either. It was just right.

"May I help you, master?" Gus asked as he noticed that Spectra is staring at him. The situation was very embarrassing, but for his master's sake he tried to keep his cool. He offered him his hand. He looked confused, but accepted and let Gus pull him up on his feet. Then, Gus helped him take his coat off. He was glad he had to stand behind him because he was blushing like crazy. Spectra did not know what hit him. Gus just stripped him off his shirt and made him sit down on the bed to kneel in front of him and take off his boots. Then he pushed him to lay down and covered them both under the thin blanket.  
Gus turned his face towards Spectra and pretended to be asleep. Spectra's brain was finally up and running again and he realised what situation he was in. He looked at Gus's face and wondered how can someone this pretty be with him. He could do that for hours, but right now, there were more urgent matters to pay attention to. Like the fact that they are in the same bed half-naked and what happened? Nothing. Spectra was kind of disappointed. But what was he thinking? What did he want from Gus anyway?

'I know what you want.'

'You just shut it, Keith.'

'How could I? I can feel your desire. I can see what you wish for. Go for it, Spectra.'

'But he is so pure, Keith. I could never...'

'Just ask him to.'

'He's already asleep anyway.'

'And what? Are you going to stay up all night staring at him and thinking about what could happen?'

'Maybe.'

'No way. He is not asleep. He is just waiting for your order.'

Spectra bit his lip. He could not resist the temptation any longer.

"Gus? I am still waiting for something." He said. Gus opened his eyes.

"Waiting for what, master? I thought we are just sleeping together?" His innocent look was slowly driving Spectra crazy.

'So cute! Just kiss him already, Spectra!'

'I'm trying!'

"Exactly. We are sleeping together. I expected to at least get a goodnight kiss." Everything in Spectra was screaming. He wanted Gus to be even closer. He wanted him to do so many things.

"Really? I did not think about that." Gus was keeping his distance. Spectra was hardly able to suppress his desire any longer. Gus casually put his hand around Spectra's waist. That was the last thing he could stand. Spectra grabbed Gus' head from behind and pressed his lips on his own. He kissed him hungrily, as if he wanted to eat him. He bit his lip gently. He loved how there was nothing that could compare to the taste of those lips. Gus did not stay far behind and made sure to give everything back doubled. He pulled himself above Spectra and kissed his jawline.

"Try aiming." Spectra whispered, breathing heavily. Gus smiled and continued along his jaw on his neck. Spectra bent his head back. He felt like something was building up in him. His breathing and heartbeat was faster and faster. The tension in all of his muscles was getting stronger with every time Gus' lips touched his skin. Gus bit into his shoulder and a little groan slipped out of his mouth. This will leave a mark for sure. Gus did not stop and went further down on his breastbone and belly. When he reached the edge of his pants, he stopped and looked at Spectra. 

'More.'

'No, Spectra, wait! This is enough! Stop it!'

'But Keith, don't you want more?'

'I do, I really do, but it is too soon! Gus is still underage, remember?'

'Why do you always have to be right?'

Apparently Gus felt Spectra's inner struggle and went back to his lips. He bit his lip, but not as gently as Spectra did his before. It started bleeding, but instead of pain, Spectra felt just some sort of twisted pleasure as Gus licked the blood. Suddenly, Spectra felt the tension inside of him explode. His body relaxed and at the same time, Gus laid his head on Spectra's chest. 

"This is what I have always wished for." Gus whispered. His sweet smile made it hard for Spectra to answer.

"Having my chest as a pillow?" 

"Yes. And also knowing that you are mine. I love you, master Spectra."

"I love you too, Gus. Thank you for this."

"You do not have to thank me, I am grateful to you."

\---

"Master Spectra, wake up! You have something to attend to today." Spectra was awakened by Gus' sweet whisper. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the prettiest thing he has ever seen. His lovable boyfriend was giving him a kind smile. His green eyes still had a sleepy look and his blue hair were a bit messy, yet he looked better than ever.

"I can do it later." He said and wanted to pull Gus closer, but he resisted.  
"It pains me to say this, master, but we cannot do it later. You have scheduled a battle with Mira to test Helios' new powers. It is your fault you decided for it to take place in the morning." Gus reminded him.

"She can wait. It is not like she could leave this place without me anyway." Spectra said stubbornly and cuddled himself into the blanket. He was usually not like this, but he wanted to stay in bed with Gus as long as possible.

"I do not want to leave my current position either, master, but we have to." Gus was very happy to find out that he is more important to his master than his own sister. But he had to go to her.

"I do not want to."

"You have to."

"Make me." Gus put his back against the wall behind him and kicked Spectra off the bed. Gently, of course. Spectra was now fully awake.

"What on earth, Gus?" That scared him a little.

((Note: "What on earth?" is an inside joke between those two ever since they visited Earth. You know how humans say "What in hell?". Well, this is their version of it.))

"Are you alright, master?"

"Owww. I may have broken my back."

"I am so sorry, master. I will take you to-"

"Gus, calm down, that was just a figure of speech. I am fine." Gus let out a sigh of relief in response. "Do not worry about me so much, Gus."

"Then stop making me worry. I care for you, master. If anything ever happened to you, I could never forgive myself."

"I know, and I love you for that. But I can handle myself. Look at me, I never worry about you."

"Because I never make you."

"I guess."

"See? Now get dressed and head to the battlefield."

"You kicked me out of my bed and now you are trying to kick me out of my room? That is cruel."

"I am sorry. Now get going."

"Aww. Poor me." Spectra laid down on the floor like a proper drama queen. Gus slipped out of bed and hugged him around his shoulders.

"Come on, master. The sooner you defeat her the sooner we can be together again." He whispered into his ear and kissed his cheek.

"Okay, okay, I am going." They both stood up. Spectra got dressed and put his mask on. Gus leaned to his ear as he was leaving.

"Show her your power, master."

"I will."

\---

Spectra was on the battlefield earlier than Mira. He needed to check Helios. He also knew that Mira needs her twelve hours of sleep and therefore will be here around nine o'clock. 

"I'm glad you suggested this. I've been looking forward to a rematch." He welcomed his sister in the arena. She noticed there was a small wound on his bottom lip. He did not have it there yesterday, did he? She decided to concentrate on the battle.

"Good, but first, you have to accept the stakes. I warn you, they're high. If I win, Keith, you'll be my brother again." She was dead serious.

"That's fine. But what if I win? What will you do for me then, Mira?" This was one big joke to Spectra. There was no way he could lose. He let Mira choose the conditions herself, watching her struggle. He was merely playing with her.

'Leave her alone, Spectra.'

'I cannot stop. It was her idea.'

'She wants to battle with me, not with you.'

'No, Keith, you misunderstood. She wants to battle me to free you. That is what she said.' 

'You monster! There is no way she could beat Helios!'

'That is what makes it fun.'

"It's only fair that if I lose, I'll be at your command." She sighed.

"It's a deal."

\---

The battle was quick and painless. Well, not so painless for Wilda. And Mira. Both of them suffered a crushing defeat.

'How can you be so cruel, Spectra.' 

'It was fun.'

'She's our sister!'

'She is also almost an adult now and her brawling skills are formidable. I would insult her if I did not go at her with full power, right? Besides, I needed to test Helios.'

'I'm not talking to you anymore, monster.'

'Finally.'


	11. Betrayal and loyalty

~Episode 74 - Underground takedown, Episode 75 - Wall to wall brawl, Episode 76 - Ultimate Bakugan, Episode 77 - Final countdown and Episode 78 - Reunion~

Spectra went to introduce their new member to the prince. 

"My prince, I have recruited a former Battle Brawler to our ranks. It's Mira Fermin. She's professor Clay's daughter." He hated to bow his head in front of him.

"Ah, you are always full of surprises, loyal Spectra, but this? And I thought the professor only had a son." Spectra felt a sudden urge to kick the prince off his throne.

"What? I'm surprised my prince knows about Clay's son." Could he know? No, impossible.

"Your prince knows many things. You might be surprised." What is he implying? "So you're Mira. I have high hopes for you, my friend. I'm counting on you to help me complete my collection."

"Huh? Collection?" Spectra was doing his best to restrain himself from facepalming. He already told her about this. Why can't she just keep her cool?

"Would you like to see it?" He laughed. Please, Mira, do not start screaming at him about Bakugan rights. Luckily, Mira was left speechless. "Of course you know about the Six Fighting Bakugan who saved New Vestroia. I have collected five so far. But one of them still eludes me. Perhaps you'll get it for me. The ultimate Bakugan: Pyrus Dragonoid Drago." Mira reacted with a shocked gasp. Did she really not see that coming? 

\---

Gus was standing in front of the main elevator connecting Gamma City and the Vestal Palace awaiting his master's return. His communication device beeped and he accepted the call.

"Master Spectra?"

"Gus, get our newest invention ready for battle. I will be there shortly."

"Yes, master Spectra." Gus went to the designated laboratory and started the systems. 

Spectra arrived along with Mira and Lync. Gus greeted him with a bow. Mira seemed to be shocked and scared at the same time and Spectra was kind enough to explain her everything.

"These are the elite mechanical Bakugan father and I have been developing for prince Hydron." He smiled proudly. Gus was very proud too. These Bakugan were really the most powerful things they have ever created.

"You're going to give these to prince Hydron?" Mira asked. How naive. Did she actually believe that?

"I have decided it would be better to keep them for myself." Mira's shocked gasp almost made Gus laugh. "Soon I will convert the receptors so they will only respond to my commands. With these and Helios I will control and hold the most powerful combination Bakugan in the universe! Even if he is fighting against the Perfect Dragonoid, there is no way Helios can lose!" Spectra laughed. Gus could feel the power, but he was not afraid. He was proud of his master. "There is no one who can stand in my way! Soon, they will all kneel before me! The Vexos, prince Hydron, and even the king himself! After that, there will be no limit to my power!"

"Oh, Keith." Mira was scared. Gus had to admit he was too, but just a little. He knew he had to be there for him no matter what.

"Just a few more adjustments and they'll be finished. Gus, Mira, take these Bakugan. Use them in battle. Then I want you to bring back the data on Percival and Drago." Gus was now officially scared. Him and Mira? Ew.

"You want me to fight?" How can she be surprised? She is a servant now, so it is only natural. Gus decided to protest against being paired with her.

"All due respect, master Spectra, but are you sure it's safe to trust Mira?" Mira did not like Gus either, but she finally heard him talk to Spectra in public. She listened to every word and watched their expressions thoroughly, trying to figure out what the relationship between them is like. Gus was keeping a polite distance and he did not seem to be afraid of Spectra.  
"Once again you are questioning me, Gus." Once again? That means he talks to Spectra like this usually, right? It was clearly visible that Spectra is the one who makes decisions in their relationship, but Gus did not follow his decisions without questions. He used his own brain and talked back. 

"It's just- I don't think it's smart." Spectra was still on his high horse, but instead of trying to pull him down, Gus had his own little horse at his side. 

"She is none of your concern. Now activate the trans-system." Spectra brushed him off. 

"Yes, sir." Gus agreed reluctantly. It seemed like they had absolute trust in each other. 

"Take them and go. Dan Kuso and Ace will arrive soon." Spectra ordered. Gus threw a glare at Mira. She had no idea why. He looked at the canister with the Bakugan. Obviously, he did not intend to carry it himself. She took it and they left. 

"I'm glad I don't have to face my friends alone. Even if it's you." She said quietly. Gus tried his best to keep his cool and not snap at her.

"I am not very fond of this either, but if I were you, I wouldn't worry about your friends." Dan and Ace seemed to be shocked to see her. "Okay, Mira, prove that you are loyal to Spectra. I want to see it with my own eyes." Gus said.

\---

He did not trust her. At all. And he was right. He decided to report the result of the battle to his master. He activated his communication device. 

"I'm sorry, master Spectra, but Mira-" 

"Forget Mira, she means nothing to me! We still have the ultimate weapon. Let it be our little present to the Resistance and my dear sister, Mira Fermin." Spectra interrupted him angrily. Suddenly, Gus was so incredibly happy. Everything was brighter. The threat was gone. "I am now supposed to protect the prince. I will use this opportunity to test my ultimate Bakugan against Dan Kuso. You check on Mylene. Who knows what she is up to."

"Yes, master Spectra." Gus pinpointed her location through his gauntlet. She were in Clay's lab along with Volt and Shadow. This cannot be a good sign. He headed there as fast as possible. 

\---

He heard voices inside. He pressed his ear onto the door and listened.

"If you're worried about the prince, don't be. Spectra will take the fall." He heard Mylene's voice.

"Spectra?" Clay asked, insecure. Gus wondered about the relationship between him and Spectra. Does he know who Spectra is?

"He is the reason the dimension controllers have been destroyed." Mylene laughed. Gus felt anger, ready to rip her head off once she opens the door.

"Traitor. It figures Mylene would try to pin this all on Spectra." He whispered for himself.

"Sneaking around like usual, Gus?" Lync's annoying voice was a little bit too loud to be appropriate to this situation.

"Shh! Listen, Lync, tell Spectra Mylene is up to something." Gus ordered. Since all of his hatred and distrust were directed on Mira, he accepted Lync quickly and had some trust in him.

"Like what?" His innocent dumb smile was irritating, but this was just who Lync was.

"Not only are those snakes planning to leave, they want to take professor Clay with them."

"You know? Sounds good to me!" Lync took out a paralyzer and hit Gus's head. He passed out, but awoke just a while later, right after Lync threw him into a small room and locked him.

"Slimy little double-crosser!" Gus cursed.  
"I knew you'd understand. See you later, loser." Lync laughed at him. Gus did not care and started thinking. What are the Vexos going to do? They are going to leave New Vestroia, take Clay with them and pin all the blame on master Spectra. Are they going to take the prince too? No, probably not. Mylene hates him just as much as everyone else except for Lync. If they leave and intend to blame Spectra, that means they will have to make sure neither him nor me is going to get back. They are probably going to use the Palace's emergency escape pod. That means that either they kill the prince or they will take him with them. Anyway, let's just concentrate on master's life. How are they going to kill him? Of course. They are going to leave and let the Palace self-destruct. Gus had to save him. How? We will need a ship- Vestal Destroyer! Of course! Gus looked around. First, he has to get out of here. He turned his gauntlet on. It automatically connected to Spectra's battle. Gus looked on the numbers and his heart felt heavy. He hoped master Spectra is alright. He made the gauntlet pinpoint his own location. Then, he looked at the room he was in, and found the number of that door. Then he used the remote controller, input the door's number, clicked 'Unlock' and the door opened. He looked at the map in his gauntlet. Mylene and the others were already in the escape pod, along with the prince. The engine was starting. They lifted off and left. Gus's gauntlet will go offline shortly.

"Come on, not now!" Gus tried to connect his gauntlet with the computer of Vestal Destroyer. Successfully. He headed to the hangar, but the city was so huge he could never make it in time. But he had to. If master Spectra dies here... No, do not even think about it! He will save him. He must. Gus could hardly breathe. His legs felt like they are going to fall off and his lungs were burning. Sure, his physical condition was significantly better than before, but not good enough to run full speed across the entire city. But he refused to quit. Everything depends on him. His eyes filled with tears, but he continued to run. He tripped and fell on the ground, hitting his head so badly that he almost lost consciousness. His eyesight was betraying him. While he was balancing on the verge of staying conscious, he could only see blurry silhouettes. But he continued onwards. He did not notice the staircase in front of him. He tripped and fell down. But instead of hitting his head multiple times by falling off the stairs, he landed on warm stone.

"Master Gus, are you alright?" 

"I am fine, Vulcan. Let's get to the hangar."

"Already there." Gus felt him landing. He figured out he must have passed out for a while. He gathered all the strength he had left and stood up in Vulcan's hands.

"Must find master Spectra." He looked at the ship and saw something unexpected. "Brontes? Elico? But what are the two of you doing here?" Vulcan got ready to strike if necessary.

"Mylene and the others have deserted us." Answered Elico.

"She threw us out like the trash!" Added Brontes. 

"Threw you out? Well, if you stay here, you will die. Do you want to join us?" Gus asked. He could not let an amazing test subject like Elico and his Attribute change or Brontes and his magic get away.

"Anything to get out of here." Agreed Elico reluctantly. Brontes nodded.

"First of all, we have to save master Spectra. He is still out there battling. We will take the ship and fly right onto the battlefield. Time is of the essence. Elico, you will help Vulcan carry Helios, Brontes, you take master Spectra. Be careful, there is a possibility of them being injured. Let's go!" 

"Warning. Gravitational core will detonate in ten seconds." A voice announced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone!
> 
> \---
> 
> Just wanted to ask: is someone else here a voltron fan? Because I just noticed that Keith Kogane and Keith Fermin are really similar. I mean:
> 
> -mullet  
> -long fluffy hair  
> -long sword, good at hand-to-hand combat  
> -fire + darkness  
> -impatient  
> -impulsive  
> -bad at teamwork with the exception of one special (blue) person  
> -voice higher pitched when under pressure or in the heat of battle  
> -best pilot/scientist of their generation  
> -sassy, passive agressive  
> -(over)confident  
> -ran away because they didn't want to do what others told them  
> -now living in space   
> -do not know their mother
> 
> Do I need to continue? Anyway, I was bored and drew a picture of them, so check it out if you want (btw, I can't draw but I enjoy it so I do it anyway)
> 
> https://pin.it/3jayjf52lcv5mv


	12. Inseparable

\- Revision: What have we already found out about Vestal society?  
\--Love  
\--Time  
\--Who rules where  
\--Weather  
\--Age  
\--Food  
\--School and work  
\--Internet  
\--Hairstyles and eye colours

\- What will we learn today? Hygiene.  
\--A body of a vestal is more evolved then a human's. They use up almost 100% of the things they consume. Therefore, they need a toilet maybe once in five days, and a bath like once in ten days, because they also sweat less. Because of that, a vestal tub looks more like a pool, deeper and larger and it is meant more for sport and relaxing than cleaning oneself. (The amount of water stored on Vestal Destroyer is also limited.)

~Episode 78 - Reunion~

Nine.

Gus saw Spectra still fighting Dan, and hand-to-hand with swords at the top of it. He did not care about the mechanical voice counting the last seconds of his life.

Eight.

"Master Spectra!" Gus shouted. Spectra was surprised. He did not really expect anyone to come save him anymore.

Seven.

"We must go!" Gus' voice made him realise his situation. Suddenly, he could hear the countdown.

Six.

Vulcan and Elico grabbed Helios and dragged him up into the ship.

Five. 

Brontes grabbed Spectra. 

Four.

"Get moving!" Shouted he as he carried Spectra on his shoulder behind them.

Three.

They got into the ship's hangar.

Two.

The hangar door closed and Gus fired the engines.

One.

Vestal Destroyer picked up speed and dissappeared from the explosion radius.

Zero.

"Well done, Gus. I will always remember that you came back for me." Spectra said when they were in the main hall. He was aware that no words can describe the relief and happiness he felt. He is alive. Gus saved his life. Their plan continues.

"Master Spectra, it pains me to inform you of this information, but you should know prince Hydron and the Vexos have abandoned New Vestroia. They intend to blame you for everything." Gus remembered that he had a task, so he reported the results.

"That was something Mylene came up with, Gus?" Spectra asked. He knew that Mylene will betray him eventually. 

"That's right. So now that prince Hydron knows of our betrayal, there is no way you and I can return to Vestal ever again." Gus continued his report.

"Who cares. I never expected to return there anyway." Spectra commented.

"However, we have obtained precious rare test subjects, master. I think they will give us a lot of new knowledge. I will go analyse them as soon as possible." Gus' eyes lit up.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm for science, Gus, but..." Spectra made a pause as he took off his mask and Gus got scared. "I wish you were this excited about me, too." Gus felt so stupid. He completely forgot about his master's presumed injuries.

"Master, I- I'm so sorry. Are you alright? Can you walk? You seem tired. Do you-"

"Gus, I did not want you to start worrying about me again." Spectra sighed.

"Oh. But you need some treatment anyway, we should-"

"Gus, just stop it. I am fine. I do not want you to worry about me ever again."

"Master, I just love you and want to make sure that you are alright."

"I love you too, Gus. That is why I hate to see I made you worried again."

"Then stop making risky things and reckless decisions and I will not have to worry about you." Gus' concerned look melted Spectra's heart. He opened his arms and invited Gus to hug him. Gus was surprised, but he put his arms around Spectra's shoulders and pulled him closer. 

"I am sorry, Gus." Spectra whispered. "I will try to be more cautious next time."

"You do not have to restrain yourself because of me. Your hot head is one of the things I love about you." Gus whispered as answer. Spectra pulled a bit away to look into Gus' eyes. 

"Are you implying that my head is the only hot thing about me?" He asked. 

"Of course not. I could name a lot of other things." Gus was looking into Spectra's eyes and a blush was creeping on his face.

"I'm listening." Spectra smirked.

"That would take years, and we cannot afford to stand here for such a long time. You need some medical care and-"

"Gus? Do you know what did I want you to do when I said that at the beginning?" Spectra cut him off.

"No?" Gus tilted his head a little bit to the right, which he always did when he was curious about something. Spectra put it on his 'list of cute things Gus does'.

"I just wanted a kiss, that is all. I did not mean to blame you for not caring about me." Spectra's puppy eyes were totally irresistible to Gus. 

"Do I still have a chance to make up for it?" He asked, acting all innocent. He loved the impact it had on Spectra. 

"Just stop talking already and do it."

"Master, your impatience is also one of the things I love about you." Gus smiled and watched Spectra's desire for him grow stronger and stronger.

"Gus, please. Do not make me wait any longer." Spectra begged. Gus had a hard time resisting this. He wanted to play a little more, but it was hard to ignore the urge to kiss the gorgeous face in front of him.

"But master, I like to just look at you like this." When Gus kept stalling, Spectra looked almost hurt. He was just so handsome, Gus could not resist any longer. He cupped Spectra's face and pressed their lips together. Neither of them bothered with a slow start. Gus was almost eating Spectra's lips. Their half-opened mouths touched each other hungrily. Their bodies were burning with desire. Small moans slipped out of their throats occasionally. Spectra hid his fingers into Gus' hair and pressed them together stronger. Gus bit Spectra's lip, this time more gently than before. Spectra was out of breath, but Gus clung to him as if his life depended on it.

"Gus... I... really... need to... breathe..." Spectra protested between the kisses. Gus pulled away a little. Both of them were panting.

"Running away already?" Gus smiled.

"Never, but I thought you have some work to do." Spectra smiled too.

"I can do that tomorrow, besides, you need to rest."

"And a bath." Spectra was too tired to argue.

"Yes. Can you walk?" Gus asked.

"I am fine with you carrying me." Spectra smirked and Gus blushed. He knew he could not lift Spectra even if he wanted to.

"All I can do is support you. You have to walk by yourself, master."

"I will remember that. It is a nice metaphor." Spectra put his arm aroun Gus' shoulders and they headed to the bathroom.

When they entered, Spectra let go and leaned on the sink. Gus took off his jacket and Spectra blushed.

"Uhm... Gus? Could you please... leave?"

"What's the matter, master?" Gus pressed Spectra against the wall. "Embarrassed?"

"N-no, not at all..." Spectra's cheeks were burning red.

"You are!" Gus laughed.

"I'm not!" He was.

"Come on, master. We already slept together, how is this different?" Gus asked. 

"I- it is not, I guess..." Spectra tried to look away. 

"So it is fine, right?" Gus slipped his hands under Spectra's jacket to take it off.

"G-gus, wait!" Spectra wanted to step back, but the wall was there.

"Why?" Gus stopped.

"Are- are you sure you want to do it? I mean... There is no way back once it begins." Spectra looked seriously concerned. Gus had no idea why, though. 

"Master." Gus gave Spectra back his serious look. "I love you. There are many things I want to do only with you. And there was never a way back. Do you want to do it?"

"I do. A lot." Spectra's face went red again. "After all, I was the one who proposed it." He smiled.

"Technically, yes, but you did not meant to propose it." Gus smiled too.

"Then I am proposing it now."

"I am sorry, master, but I already proposed it earlier."

"You did not."

"Master, I do not want to start an argument right now."

"You are just envious of me because I came up with this idea."

"I am not."

"Okay, let's calm down, I am tired." Spectra quit.

"Are you sure you are feeling well, master?" Gus asked.

"Gus. I am fine. I just need to wash myself." Spectra said.

"You mean: I need you to wash me?" Gus smirked.

"Maybe." Spectra blushed. Gus waited for something, but Spectra did not know why.

"If you are not going to give me an order, I will order myself." Gus explained.

"Gus, we cannot bathe if there is no water in the tub." This time it was Gus who was flustered. He was so head over heels for Spectra that he forgot about everything else. Gus clicked a few buttons on the control panel to fill the tub with hot water. Spectra took his jacket off in the meantime. Then, the atmosphere became heavy. The air felt thicker and hotter. Gus overcame the embarrassment first, stretched his hands out and grabbed Spectra's to take off the gloves. He put them away and placed his lips on Spectra's fingers for a short while. Spectra blushed and took Gus' gloves off, but he pulled his hands away before Spectra could kiss them. That would be a disgrace for his master and even though Gus knew Spectra would do it for him, he did not want him to. Spectra understood Gus' intention and ignored it. They came closer and got rid of their shirts too. Now, they were standing bare-chested, both staring at each other. Spectra was irresistible, no doubt. That's why Gus could not just stand there, but he felt that Spectra is not yet ready for further undressing. Gus had already learned to take everything slow. He took a last step forward, wrapped his arms around Spectra's shoulders and kissed him slowly. He could feel their hearts beat so fast, as if they wanted to break free of the ribcage, when their naked bodies touched each other. Gus found out he was mistaken. This was a lot different than last night. Both of them felt that this is just the beginning and what happens next will start a new stage of their relationship. They will grow inseparably close. Gus let go and knelt in front of Spectra to take their shoes of. First Spectra's, then his own. He did not want to see Spectra kneeling in front of him. When he stood back up, Spectra reached his hands to unfasten Gus' belt. He did not seem to be more ready than before, but he did it. Gus' pants slid down to his ankles. He did the same to Spectra. Neither of them could help themselves but stare at one certain spot on each other, because they were both just in underwear now. Spectra had to remind himself multiple times that Gus is a man and still underage, but it did not help. His imagination went at full power and his face reddened more and more as he realised where this was going. He was never the type to think things through, he always acted on instincts and intuition alone. Gus was the one thinking and warning him, but this time, he did not seem to hesitate even for a second. Spectra wanted to take over the thinking role, but he found out how hard it is to think straight when your beautiful boyfriend is standing in front of you, ready to get rid of the last piece of clothing covering him, waiting for your approval. Spectra gave up and undressed himself completely. Gus followed. Both of them tried their best not to stare as they dove into the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I wrote this. How did they get into the bathroom again? This is just so embarrassing but whatever, just take it.


	13. Bakugan stick together

The situation was very awkward at first. Then, Spectra got an idea.

"How about a race to the opposite side of the tub?" He asked. Gus suddenly looked upset, still holding on tightly to the edge. As much as he tried, his feet could not reach the ground. He forgot about this. He forgot that he actually hates water, and especially when it got into his hair. Spectra realised the reason for his state of mind. "You cannot swim?" He asked, concerned.

"I do not like water. I feel too insecure in it. There is no solid ground, just emptiness. It is scary." He answered, still facing the outside of the tub. Spectra swam towards him and hugged him around his waist, because his waist and legs were the only part of his body that was in water. He obviously didn't want to get his hair wet. He noticed that Gus' body was trembling.

"Let us stay here, then. Nothing dangerous. Water will do you no harm." Spectra let go and reached for something outside the tub. He found a hair tie and showed it to Gus. "Mylene always has one of these here." He said and brushed Gus' hair with his fingers, creating a messy ponytail. Gus shivered under the touch of wet fingers in his hair. Then, Spectra backed out a little to observe his creation. His cheeks turned soft pink.[(my artistic impression of ponytail Gus here)](https://pin.it/o3fm4fggk5jbea)

"This has to look horrible." Gus looked at Spectra, his eyes like a lost puppy.

"This is so cute." Spectra whispered and covered his face with his hand. "I can hardly handle so much perfection at once." The happiness in his voice transfered to Gus and he smiled.

"Come here, please." He said and Spectra swam closer. He overcame his fear and let go of the edge with one hand, only to wrap it around Spectra's waist. He pulled him closer and gave him a short soft kiss. The tip of his ponytail tickled Spectra's shoulder.

"So, what do you think will come out of our two new samples?" Spectra asked after they both settled on the edge, really, really close to each other. Gus was glad for the change of topic.

"I am very excited about Elico. I wonder how the Attribute Change works. I mean, the attribute is coded in a Bakugan's DNA, right? How can he change it at will and this quickly? It sounds just too impossible to be true. Is he changing his DNA or..." They started a relaxed conversation, exchanging theories and ideas. Eventually, they went out of the tub, dried themselves and got dressed.

\---

"Drago, the next time we meet, only one of us will survive!" Helios grunted wanly.

"Calm down, Helios. Rest for a little. You won't be able to beat anyone in this state." Vulcan tried to calm him down.

"Thanks, Vulcan. This makes me feel sooo much better." Helios noted sarcastically.

"I'm sorry. I was worried, y'know? I thought you're gonna die!" Vulcan forgot to hide the panic in his voice.

"A little battle never killed anyone."

"No, but the Palace's explosion could."

"I would've survived."

"No doubt there, but what about Spectra?"

"You've got a point there."

"See? Gus was crazy worried about him when he found out the Palace's gonna explode, not to mention that he rushed towards his death to save him."

"They're so into each other it's gross."

"They're what?" Elico asked, surprised.

"Have you seen those cutie softie smiles they sent each other when you guys came?" Explained Helios.

"I had no idea." Elico wondered.

"They aren't really subtle about it, are they? I'm so glad we don't have to sleep in the same room with them." Vulcan rolled his eyes, even though it was invisible due to the glasses.

"Don't get me even started on this. I don't even wanna know what they're doing there." Helios agreed.

"Ugh. I won't get this mental image out of my head until next experiment. And the sweet things they always say to each other. It makes me want to puke." Vulcan continued.

"Um..." Brontes interrupted. "What are these 'experiments' everyone keeps talking about? Is it painful?"

"If you're lucky, you'll pass out after few minutes." Vulcan brushed him off. He hated him for disturbing their conversation. "Gus is nice and gentle."

"And that's not reserved just for Bakugan." Helios said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Great, now you made me think about it again." Vulcan sighed. They heard Spectra's and Gus' chatter getting closer to them. They lowered their voices.

"See? They aren't even trying to hide it anymore." Helios commented on their bright smiles and intertwined fingers.

"By the Ancients, how could I not notice this? They're so painfully obvious." Elico realised.

"I hope they won't do anything more. It's sickening enough as it is." Vulcan said.

"I'm Disgusted." Helios agreed.

"Yeah, me too." Elico nodded. Spectra and Gus entered the hangar.

"Well, my friends, it is time. Let us head upstairs to the laboratory." Gus said with a sweet smile.

"There we go again." Vulcan whispered to the others.

"Good luck, guys. Be strong." Helios wished quietly as they were leaving and fell asleep.

Spectra helped Gus get the Bakugan into the pods and went to sleep. He hated to admit it, but he was really tired, even though it was just shortly after seventeen o'clock. Gus stayed behind in the lab, studying the DNA of his new subjects.

Elico can change his attribute by causing a temporary change of his DNA. His skin colour changes due to this as well. But what was even better: Brontes and Vulcan have, just like most Bakugan, an armored body. Vulcan's is made of metal, Brontes' of quartz. If you break the armor, it repairs. If you cut off a piece, it grows back. But how is that possible? It is not alive, is it? Well, yes and no. There was a thin layer of special cells on the armor. They had some sort of roots growing through the stone/metal. The cells somehow became the material itself, and they were able to create molecules of the material and make it grow. And the only thing it needed was solar energy and an electrochemical order from the brain.

Gus yawned and looked at the display of his communication device. It was two in the night. He sighed. The analysis took him about ten hours. He was really tired. He heard steps headed in his direction.

"Gus, please tell me that you slept at least a little." Spectra asked.

"Good night, master. No, I did not, but take a look at this." Gus sounded really excited and Spectra got curious, but he was still worried.

"Gus."

"I promise I will have some sleep after I show you." Gus smiled. Spectra sat down on the table next to the computer screen and looked over the results of Gus' analysis.

"Amazing. How could we use it?" Spectra asked. He was in awe, and he was sure that this is a breakthrough discovery, but he did not know in which way.

"Maybe- No, that would be impossible." Gus cut off his own thought before finishing it.

"Go on, say it." Spectra beckoned him.

"It is silly, but... If we managed to plant them onto a computer and connect them with it..." Gus did not even need to finish.

"We could just order them to grow anything! That is incredible! And do you think we could-" Spectra froze. Gus apparently passed out from exhaustion and what surprised Spectra was the fact that he rested his head on his lap. Spectra forgot to breathe. He observed his boyfriend's sleeping face carefully. He looked so peaceful that every problem they had seemed to be just a bad dream. His eyes covered by eyelids looked calm and at ease. His nose was delved in Spectra's thigh, inhaling his scent. His hair was fanned on Spectra's knees and around them, reaching almost to his toes. A stray curl slid down on his face. And his lips... Spectra could hardly find any fitting words. They looked so... Just...

'Appetising. Seductive. Tempting. Inviting. Attractive. Appealing. Sweet. Irresistible.'

'Thank you, Keith.'

Spectra wanted to kiss him more than anything in the world. Anything. Like, if he had to choose between Zenoheld's death and kissing Gus, he would take the second option without hesitation. But he did not want to wake Gus up, not after he was working for so long to please him. Spectra slowly reached for his gauntlet and used it as a remote controller for the computer. It made his work more complicated, but it was worth it.

Gus' idea of planting the cells onto a computer inspired him. If they could make them grow on the entire ship and connect them to the computer on the bridge, the ship would be able to repair itself and if they wanted to add something, they could just type it on the computer and it would grow by itself! They could save money for so many servants and resources with this. They would not need any mechanics anymore. It would change their lives forever. Spectra brushed his fingers through Gus' hair.

"You are amazing, Gus. This will change our world as we know it." Spectra smiled. He forgot about Zenoheld, Dan, and Mira. All he needed was his beautiful genius boyfriend and this ship. Nothing else. Just the two of them in the middle of nowhere somewhere in space, living together. That was all.

Spectra extracted a single cell from both Vulcan's and Elico's armor into a separate container. The two cells floated in the water for a while, desperately searching something they could attach themselves to. And because they did not find anything, they died. That means that they cannot be planted separately, they have to grow directly on the material. But how will we connect them to the computer?

Spectra started to brush Gus' hair with his fingers subconsciously while he was thinking. He should move Gus to his bed. His body will hurt if he sleeps like this. He slowly placed his head on the table and stood up. His legs were a bit numb. He cradled Gus in his arms and he automatically placed his hands around Spectra's neck and pulled them closer. He lifted him and carried him to his bedroom, hoping that no servants will be around because he did not have his mask on to monitor their movements.

He put Gus into his bed. Suddenly, he felt so lonely. Spectra took their shoes off and laid himself next to Gus. He wrapped his arms around him almost immediately. Spectra could not resist any more. He slowly tasted those lips, they were asking for it. It was not really a kiss, neither of them was doing anything, their mouths were just touching each other. Spectra could never get enough of this feeling. Knowing that Gus is here, at his side, made him the happiest vestal alive. The feeling of complementarity, like a gate and a key. There was a thread connecting their hearts, a bond that can never be broken. No matter what, they will always be connected. It felt so right. But Spectra realised something. He thought that Spectra was not supposed to have this kind of feelings. Does that mean that he has not changed at all, that he is actually the same as before?

'Is this your emotion, Keith? Is this you taking my place?'

'Not at all. And you have changed, Spectra. After you started wearing that mask, you became someone else. But the strange thing is that before, when you took the mask off, I was in charge. But now you are fully Spectra, with or without the mask, and this is all Gus' doing. I hate to admit it, but... you are now the main identity, Spectra. I am a mere alter ego now. This is so sad.'

'Well, it is not like you still want something to do. You have no reason to live.'

'Cruel and rude. I have. Someone has to take care of Mira.'

'She can take care of herself.'

'...'

'Back to the point. If I am in love... Does that mean that I have feelings?'

'Yes, Spectra, you have feelings. Is it so surprising?'

'Yes? I thought you created me to be emotionless, because that will make me powerful.'

'But...?'

'But wha-... Oh, I see! I can feel love because... it makes me even more powerful?'

'That's right.'

Spectra did not even realise he fell asleep after a while, lulled by Gus' calm breathing.


	14. Night Changes

~Episode 83 - Spectra rises~

Spectra woke up much earlier than Gus. His communication device informed him that it is 8 in the morning. He stretched slowly and promised himself to never sleep in his shirt ever again, because it was highly uncomfortable. He took the shirt off and cuddled back to Gus, staring at his beautiful sleeping face again. This was interrupted by Gus waking up. He seemed to be a bit confused at first, but then he smiled and Spectra melted. Gus was even prettier when awake. 

"Good morning, Gus." Spectra made himself say. "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning. I... Yes, I did, but... how..." Gus was confused, yet there was still a small smile on his lips that made Spectra's heart flutter.

"You fell asleep in the lab. I brought you here." Spectra answered with a smile as well. There was no special reason for it, but he was happy. Gus squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head. 

"I am sorry I caused you so much trouble, master."

"Do not worry about it. You are so beautiful when you sleep." The second sentence was something Spectra did not intend to say out loud, and he blushed when he realised that he did.

"Thank you. And? How is Project Emanation going?" Gus smiled.

"Is this how you named the cells?" Spectra laughed. Gus was really good at naming things. Whether it was an ability, a Bakugan, a research project, he always had a great name for it. Even 'Cyborg Helios' was his idea. "Actually, I got an idea. If we managed to plant them onto the entire ship and connect them to the bridge, we could fire approximately eighty percent of our servants."

"Which would be really helpful because we barely have any money for them now that we lost king's support." Gus caught on.

"That is why we need to make this work as soon as possible, if we want to have enough money for food." Spectra agreed and showed Gus his experiment results on his gauntlet. "Well, what do you think? How can we connect it to a computer?" Spectra asked. Gus took his own gauntlet and let the lab computer make a short analysis.

"We just have to find out the way it is connected to the brain and recreate it." He explained. Then, his eyes lit up as if he got an idea. "Wait, let me try something." He said more to himself than to Spectra and made his gauntlet run a few simulations. Spectra watched Gus with surprise. This was really good, how did he not come up with the same thing? It was so simple! They just have to plant the first cell on the place where they want it to be connected with the computer.

"Do you think it will work?" He asked.

"It should, theoretically. We will just have to try." Gus answered and got out of the bed. "Come on!" He was almost jumping with excitement. Spectra stood up and took his shirt and mask. 

"If you insist." He sighed. Gus made his way to the laboratory, almost running. He grabbed a lab coat and put it on. Then, he requested the storage to give him a micropipette. Spectra was shocked. "Uhm, Gus? What are you doing?" 

"I am going to plant the cells on the bridge computer." Gus answered as if it was a normal thing. But it was not. Not for Spectra. 

"You can do that? Like, with your hands?" He asked. Like every vestal scientist, he only did theoretical science, all of the other things were either done by mechanics or computers. Gus gave him an understanding smile. He knew that this was very unusual, but he did not trust the mechanics. They were people with middle education and Gus could not entrust them to carry out his instructions correctly, so he did a bit extra studies and learned to do it himself.

"I do not trust the mechanics." He said. Spectra was impressed, Gus could tell. He was very proud of his abilities right now, even though everyone made fun of him at school for studying middle education stuff.

"Wow. You really are amazing."

"Did you doubt it before?" Gus grinned. He grabbed the micropipette and took a few cells from Vulcan and Brontes. Then he went to the bridge, bent down in front of the computer and opened the control panel beneath it. He pulled out a few wires and put the cells on one of them. Then, he inputed something into the computer. Spectra watched him open-mouthed. He looked on the screen and watched a virtual model of their ship getting covered by a layer of cells. "It works! Let's test it!" Gus was very very happy right now. Spectra took a few steps to stand by his side.

"Turn the ugly purple colour into red." Spectra smiled.

"Good idea." Gus smiled and started inputting a long sequence of numbers.

"I will create a program to control them more easily." Spectra said. He felt an urge to make himself useful too.

"That would be a big help, thank you." Gus smiled gratefully. Spectra went to the room below to the main computer.

They perfected Project Emanation in a few days. They had nothing else to do and the results were even better than they imagined. They could release most of their servants, out of almost one hundred, ten were left. The cells in connection with the computer and Gus' and Spectra's assistance developed a form of artificial intelligence that was able not only to repair and rebuild the ship, it could also clean, cook and drive the ship. Spectra and Gus could control the AI with voice commands through their gauntlets. They called it Vestal Destroyer, because the AI was the ship itself and they decided not to rename the ship. The name was kind of cool.

Both of them were really enjoying using the system. They commanded the poor AI all the time with orders like:

"Vestal Destroyer, merge my and Gus' room into one for us both."

"Vestal Destroyer, what is today's dinner?"

"Vestal Destroyer, change the shapes of the ship to those in sketched on the main computer."

The Bakugan also had a good time, because Helios and Vulcan received a permission to give orders to Vestal Destroyer too. And after this project was finished, Spectra and Gus needed something else to work on. And what else could it be than their favourite project. 

"Gus, let's make Helios even more powerful!"

"Yes, sir. How?"

"I do not know. But we can put him into a pod and try to find out. Vestal Destroyer, tell Helios to meet me in the laboratory." They both headed to the lab, smiling, fingers entwined.

"There must be a clue somewhere on his body. I will run a detailed analysis and see what I will find." Gus said and Spectra nodded. 

"I will do a detailed analysis of his cards, maybe they will give us a direction." Both of them sunk deep into their work. 

Suddenly, Spectra stood up and put an Ability Card into Helios' pod. 

"I can feel... the power!" Helios answered. His body started shining and evolved. All computer screens turned red.

"Unable to repair damage. Initiate all systems shut down." Helios' computer reported. Both Gus and Spectra knew that Helios' body cannot work without mechanical support anymore. If the systems shut down, he will die. 

"Gus, we need to edit the mechanical parts quickly, so that they fit his new body!" Spectra's voice cracked. He was really afraid. Losing Helios would be terrible.

"There is not enough time, master!" Gus said what Spectra already knew.

"We can't just let him die!" Spectra desperately wanted to save him. Not because of his power, but because they were friends. He also noticed how Vulcan and Elico are peeking on the experiment from the hangar, eyes filled with tears. 

"The Emanation cells! If we plant them on him..." Gus started and did not even have to finish.

"You plant them, I will get their programming ready." Spectra agreed and turned back to the keyboard. Gus took a few of the cells from the ship and placed them on Helios' artificial eye and other mechanical parts.

"Done!" He reported.

"Uploading orders." Spectra nodded. Helios' stats turned orange, and after a short while they were green and at full power. "Name?"

"I would just go with 'Helios mark 2', 'MK II' for short." Gus replied with relief.

"Okay. How are you feeling, Helios?"

"More powerful than Drago!" Helios said. It seemed like he was not really bothered by the fact that he just almost died. He trusted Spectra not to kill him.

"Glad to hear that." Spectra turned back to the screen. "Look, Gus, the cells made the FARBAS Ability three times more powerful than before! How will we name it?"

"Since it was done by the Project Emanation, let us call it FARBAS EM."

"I like that." Spectra entered it into the computer and relaxed in his chair. Then he stood up and went to Gus. "Good work, Gus."

"You too, master." They both hugged, glad that everything is fine. Helios made a disgusted face at his Bakugan friends. There was clearly a kiss coming, if Spectra's gauntlet did not interrupt. Both of them pulled away with disappointment. Spectra checked what is going on. 

"Gus, the Brawlers are on the move. I will go check what the situation is like. You get our new friends ready." He gave Gus three Ability Cards and Gus answered with a nod. Both of them were kind of saddened that their happy time together has come to an end. Spectra left for the main computer and Gus looked at the cards he received. They were Chaos Ability X cards. Gus opened the experiment log of Project Helios MK II and confirmed his theory. This was the card Spectra used to evolve Helios, and now it was his turn to do the same with the others. They are not hybrids, it should not kill them. Gus opened Helios' pod and he stumbled out, Vulcan immediately supporting him.

"Did it hurt?" Elico asked.

"That's nothing compared to the power I gained. I feel unbeatable!" Helios said and stood up on his own to support his words. He was right, his body was emitting power, and the others stared in awe.

"Everyone, please get to your pods." Gus ordered. Vulcan and Elico went voluntarily, and dragged Brontes with them. Gus inserted the card into Elico's and Vulcan's pod. They started changing. Gus was already thinking of names. Subterra Rex Vulcan and Aquos Blast Elico.

"What are you doing to them, Gus? Stop it! We've always been loyal Bakugan, what did we do to deserve this?" Brontes protested.

"Quit your whimpering Brontes, you're one of our soldiers now. We have no tolerance for weakness or cowardice. You really should be thanking me after your master tossed you away like worthless trash. When this is over, even you'll be amazed with the results." Gus told him. He could not care less about his opinion. He put the card in. "Now be quiet and hold still. This may sting a little."

"Gus, please, make it stop!" Brontes cried as he started evolving.

"Don't they know struggling just makes it worse?" Spectra entered the laboratory.

"Make it stop!" Brontes sobbed.

"Chaos Ability X! With this card we can force the evolution of any Bakugan in our possession, making them our battle weapons." Spectra smiled, satisfied with the results.

"It's brilliant, sir." Gus agreed. 

"Helios is growing quite nicely into his new battle armor. He's on his way to becoming the most powerful Bakugan that has ever lived. He will be the instrument that I will use to crush those who try to destroy me. All that's left is to capture the perfect core energy from Drago." Spectra said. 'Oh no', Gus thought, 'there we go again.'

"That will mean yet another visit with my old friend Dan Kuso."

"Correct. I have a feeling we will also be seeing some of our old Vexos teammates in the next little while, Gus."

"What?"

"When the Resistance defeated the Vestals and destroyed Vestal Palace, King Zenoheld and the royal family managed to escape and go into hiding."

"Well what about the Vexos? Did they go with him?"

"Of course they did, who else would do Zenoheld's bidding? I don't imagine he is going to sit in exile for long though. I'd be willing to bet my entire stable of Bakugan that he's got his eyes on the same prize as us." Gus knew that if Spectra is betting, it is really serious. He did that very rarely. "Too bad for him, we're going to beat him to the punch this time. I wonder who will be more surprised by our attack, Zenoheld, or the Battle Brawlers?"

"Vestal Destroyer, destination: Vestal!"


	15. Battle Trophy

~Episode 83 - Spectra rises~

"... then you're even sillier than that hairstyle makes you look!" Dan's shouting was the first thing Spectra and Gus heard when they landed on Vestal. Spectra knew that this is his cue.

"Insulting a man's hair? That's just downright impolite. Hello, Dan Kuso." He smirked. He was still sad that he is not alone with Gus anymore, but this felt good too.

"Spectra?"

"You're still alive?" Volt was shocked too.

"That's right~. Relax, you look like you've seen a ghost. I promise you I'm flesh and blood, Volt. I know you must be overcome with happiness, especially after you fled the crumbling Palace and left me for dead. I hate to spoil your plans, but I've got some business to settle with Dan here." Spectra took that back. This felt great. He missed battling, messing with others, the feeling of having the upper hand, he missed all of it.

"Spectra."

"That's right." Spectra drew his gauntlet. "I beat you once Dan and I'll have no problem doing it again."

"Hey, not so fast, Spectra, this is my battle, get in line!" Volt protested. Gus thought that he is really similar to Brontes.

"They're fighting? What's up with that?" Ace wondered.

"I thought they were on the same side?" Baron agreed.

"Anyone who gets in my way will be an enemy, whether they're Brawlers or Vexos. Either way I will crush them and leave them in the dust." Spectra was so kind to them and gave a brief explanation.

"I won't let you bully me Spectra-!" Volt started and Gus stepped in. Even he missed messing with others, and he had an ace up his sleeve now.

"Really? You just did. You talk a big game Volt, but when it comes down to it, you're a disloyal coward." He showed him Brontes on his hand.

"Brontes? Where did you find him? Why is he with you? Why do you have Brontes, answer me!" Volt was shocked and no one answered. "Gus! What did you do to my Brontes?" 

"Your Brontes?" Gus smirked. "That's very funny, Volt. Why do you care so much for something that you so easily tossed away? I've modified him to better suit my purposes."

"Huh? What do you mean 'modified'?"

"Well, I don't want to sound dramatic but I guess in a way you could say..." Yes, he wanted to sound dramatic because he loved to be dramatic. "...I took away his soul."

"Brontes..." Volt's expression was priceless.

"Dan, are you ready to have fun?" Spectra asked, really, really happy. He was back in the game. And being back from the death has never felt so good. Dan, Mira and Marucho answered his challenge.

\---

And he lost. But he had them on the ropes the entire time, it was three on one and he had fun, so he decided to forgive them.

"Gus," he grunted, "let's go. It's over."

"Yes, sir." Gus called the Vestal Destroyer.

"Helios isn't the only one who's changed, Spectra. I've never seen you back down from a fight so easily." Dan said. Spectra hated to realise that he was kind of right.

"Don't worry, Dan, I'm not leaving for good. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of each other. Sooner than you think. Enjoy your victory while you still can." 

They got back into the hangar.

"Vestal Destroyer, get us away. But not too far." Gus ordered while Spectra was lost in his thoughts.

'His powers surpassed even those of my perfect Helios. You certainly keep life interesting Dan Kuso.'

'Well, Spectra, still too weak I see.'

'I thought you are not going to talk to me ever again?'

'I was bored. So, what are you going to do now?'

Spectra settled himself into his chair in the main hall. 

'I do not know.'

'Gus believes in you. Imagine how sad he'll be when he finds out.'

'Stop distracting me, I have to think. My goal is to overthrow the royal family. But... The royal family is in exile. Gone. Vestal has no lawful ruler now. Sooner or later, people will decide to start electing a new ruler on GNS. If they elect me... But how could they? I have been labelled traitor by the Vexos.'

'But...'

'But?'

'You are still the administrator of GNS, aren't you?'  


'I am! Of course! I just have to get the people on my side! And give a little surprise to my opponents.'

'That's the spirit!'

"Gus, come to the main hall." Spectra said to his communication device. 

"Yes, master." Gus answered. He was still in the hangar, checking Helios' stats, but he seemed to be fine. Gus bowed in front of Spectra. It was not really necessary now that they were dating, but he was a habit and Spectra deserved to be bowed to.

"I would like to broadcast a message to the citizens of Vestal."

"That can be arranged." Gus answered. Servants got to work.

"In the meantime, Gus, you will activate Project Irritant between the Palace and Vestal." Gus could not really remember what this project was about. It was some side project Spectra was working on when he was bored, but Gus did not read it yet. He opened the research log and understood.

"Yes, sir." He turned to one of the keyboards and got the project ready for use. The hardest part was to locate the Palace, but it was not impossible. Spectra waited until the setup is done. 

"Ready." Announced one of the servants. Gus glared at him. The servants of Vestal Destroyer were not allowed to speak, and even if this ship does not belong to the Vexos anymore, the Servant Codex is still valid. Spectra was watching some idol group of young girls on the screen, thinking, so he did not notice. Gus suppressed his jealousy and complaints only because of the servants. Spectra turned around.

"Now, Gus. It's time."

"Yes, sir. As you wish." On his cue, a servant clicked the button that gave an impulse to the AI.

"Launching broadcast jammer." Answered Vestal Destroyer.

"Greetings, citizens, I am Spectra. I am sure many of you remember me as the leader of the Vexos. It is true, I was the leader of the Vexos, but that is no longer so. Like you, I was deceived by the royal family. King Zenoheld and prince Hydron are planning to conquer all nations across every dimension. When I learned of their plan to build a new evil empire, I could no longer be part of the Vexos. They branded me a traitor, but I don't care. As long as he will pose a threat to Vestal and the universe, I will stand against him. Vestal is in danger from the evil king Zenoheld, but I will protect it with all my strength." Spectra's speech was filled with emotions and very convincing. Gus activated the project he was supposed to and watched Spectra speak in awe. Spectra's authority, power, intellect. Gus fell on his knees. He felt it again. The feeling of inferiority. But it was warmer and nicer than before. He could not believe a person this amazing is his boyfriend. Spectra noticed that Gus is apparently done and finished his speech. The broadcast ended.

"Rise, Gus. There is no need for this." A small smile appeared on his face for a split of a second, then it turned serious again. Gus stood up with a warm feeling.

"Our signal interference was successful, sir. We have managed to block the Royal Palace from transporting anyone aboard to Vestal." Gus reported.

"Excellent news. I can battle Dan without any interruptions from Zenoheld or the Vexos. I will be the one who defeats Drago, and this time, no one will get in my way."

"I have even better news. If you would follow me to the laboratory." Gus said. He prepared a little present for his master and wanted to show him in private.

"Sure." Spectra was surprised. They went to the lab.

"I made a little quick addition to Project Irritant before I activated it." Gus explained as they arrived. He opened the project file in the computer. "Not only it blocks the teleportation signal, but it also collects data about its source."

"You got the plans of their teleporter?" Spectra asked, amazed. He took off his mask.

"That's right." Gus smiled. "The signal you created is amazing and it has so many ways of use." As he continued talking, he was drawing more and more near to Spectra's face. Their lips met softly. They were both overflowing with happiness, because who would not be happy if he can build his own teleporter at home. And also because that was exactly what both of them needed right now: to relax. Their life had been a lazy one for the past few days and they got used to the peace. Now, in a few hours, they had to do battle, science and politics. How tiring. Spectra's hand slowly entangled Gus' hair and Gus placed his arms around Spectra's waist and pulled him closer. They stayed like this for several minutes. Then Gus suddenly opened his eyes. He got an idea. "If we put some effort into this project, we could even gain access to the Palace's computers." He whispered into the kiss. Spectra froze for a second, but then continued.

"That would be great. But for now, we will build the transporter system and go to sleep, what do you say?" They let go and turned to the computer. Spectra wrapped his arm around Gus' waist and placed his head on his shoulder. Gus' body melted under the touch, but he bravely continued his work.

"Where do you want the transporter to be, master?" Gus asked.

"In the main hall, of course. I bet Zenoheld also has it in the throne room." Spectra smiled. Gus looked into the intel the project managed to gather. 

"He actually does." Gus laughed and Spectra joined him. Then, Gus opened the plan of the main hall. "There is enough place here, in the front left." He pointed and Spectra nodded. Gus sent the orders to the AI and they went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a random thought: Imagine Dan going to Spectra now, asking him to be allies and in exchange, he would give him the Pyrus Attribute Energy. Spectra would be satisfied and Dan would be sure that Zenoheld will never get his hands on the Attribute Energy and he would gain a powerful ally. Why can't Dan be a little smarter and think things through instead of being so block-headed?


	16. The end of the beginning

~Episode 85 - Brontes' Betrayal~

Gus woke up early. Spectra was still sleeping, no wonder after that battle yesterday. He reached for his gauntlet and noticed a notification from Vulcan. He let Spectra sleep, got dressed and went to the hangar. 

"Gus, thank the Ancients." Vulcan welcomed him. "Could you please do something with Brontes?" He was speaking quietly, he did not want to wake Helios up. Gus looked at Brontes. He was laying in the corner, obviously in pain.

"It it his fault. At least you two were intelligent and knew that resistance against Chaos Ability X is futile. But he had to go and try to reject it. Thus, the card had to take him by force, smashing his mental health into pieces." Gus was sick and tired of Brontes, but he knew he needs him a little longer. He sighed. "Take him to the pod. I will try to do something about it."

When the lab computer finished the analysis, Gus was surprised. Brontes was still resisting the card's power and it was causing him a lot of pain. He knew what to do. He needed to shut down Brontes' free will, like he did with Drago before. He clicked a few keys and Brontes' pained cries stopped. His gauntlet reported that Spectra is awake now and in the main hall. Gus went to report his results. On his way, a servant stopped him and showed him a very disturbing scanner result. He had to report this too.

"I've just completed another series of tests and it seems the reprogramming of Brontes is a total success. He is now another loyal soldier in the army."

"Fantastic, my plans to harness the Perfect core energy are proceeding perfectly."

"Yes, but I should advise you, our scanners picked up a dimension transport pathway between the Royal Palace and Earth."

"Zenoheld must have figured out that we have blocked his transport abilities to Vestal and now he has chosen Earth as his battlefield. If he can't travel to the Brawlers, then my bet is he will lure them home into his trap."

"What do we do now?" Gus asked.

"I will have to pay a surprise visit to the Brawlers and take Drago's Perfect core energy before they make the jump back to Earth."

"You will have to move fast."

"I learned a lot about the evolved Drago's new powers in our last encounter. This next battle will have a different outcome for Dan Kuso. Get the transporter system ready and pinpoint his location."

"Yes, sir." This was a simple task Gus could fulfil in a few minutes. Spectra left somewhere. Gus wanted to go and work on project Irritant, but he was interrupted by an incoming call. Who could it be? He accepted. 

"Gus."

"Volt."

"I want Brontes back."

"I want Zenoheld to have a heart attack and this is not going to happen either." Gus smirked. 

"Gus! Give him back!" Volt was angry.

"No." It was really easy to make Volt angry. 

"Then I challenge you to a brawl. I will win him back."

"If you can defeat him, that is. He is a lot more powerful now that he has no free will." Gus was almost laughing. 

"Gus..." 

"I will think about it." Gus said and ended the call.

"What are you doing, Gus?" He heard Spectra's voice behind his back. Was that jealousy in his voice?

"I-I'm sorry, Spectra, when I last saw Volt, he swore he'll get Brontes back at any cost." Gus explained his relationship with Volt hurriedly. He did not want Spectra to get any bad ideas. 

"Sounds like he was challenging you to a brawl." Spectra accepted his apology.

"Perhaps he was, but my focus is required here-"

"Nonsense, I insist that you go and fight. What kind of a man would you be if you didn't accept Volt's brazing challenge?" Uhm. A man who is kissing other men maybe? "Besides, perhaps Volt will want Brontes back badly enough that he will be willing to betray the Vexos."

"Yes, of course, master Spectra."

"Transporter system ready." Reported Vestal Destroyer. 

"Good luck." Gus whispered. Spectra smiled at him and entered the transporter. He dissappeared. Gus dialled Volt.

"I accept your challenge, Volt."

"Got a permission from your master?" Volt smirked. Spectra was right. Gus needs to crush him.

"I am sending you a location." He said and ended the call. 

\---

Spectra found himself in a very strange place.

'Ew, Earth architecture is so ugly.'

'Are you sure we are on Vestal, Spectra?'

'Our transporter is not able to make people travel between dimensions. Yet.'

Spectra searched the place. It was empty. He opened another door. It was a dining room and a grey-haired human was sitting at the table. He was wearing some sort of classy Earth suit and there was a fishbowl with a Bakugan on his table.

"I don't know what the etiquette is here on Vestal, but where I come from, it's rude to show up unannounced." He started. Spectra hated people who thought they were so smart just because they have a lot of money. As a son of a famous scientist, he had to spend a lot of time in this so called high class society. The children his age there were just spoiled brats who thought that everyone will be kissing their toes just because they had rich parents, even though they could not even read properly. 

"Don't waste my time, where are the Brawlers?" 

"I'm not sure who you're speaking of, but if it's a battle you want, I'd be happy to accommodate you." He said. He reminded Spectra on Dan in their first battle.

"Are all of you earthlings so arrogant?" 

"I think it's you who's the arrogant one, coming into my house uninvited and looking to pick a fight." Spectra was not picking a fight, but he was asking for it. Spectra kept his cool.

"I am losing my patience." He said and the human stood up. 

"Patience is a virtue. As is loyalty, but that's something you know nothing about." Spectra could take a lot of insults without reaction, but if someone insulted Gus, Spectra could barely hold himself back. He knew what loyalty is because of him and this human is messing with things he knows nothing about. "Perhaps that is why you'll always be at disadvantage. The bond the Brawlers share as a group is more powerful than anything." As if. "There is much you could learn from them." Spectra did not need Dan and his pathetic friends to teach him anything. Because they were JUST friends. They had no idea what love is.

"Doubt it. When you see them, tell them they can't run forever." Spectra gave a mental order to Vestal Destroyer through his mask and was transported back to his ship. "Gus?" He needed him to make up for this disappointment. "He's gone!" Oh, that's right, he is battling Volt. Now, Spectra was even more disappointed. He needed his daily kiss since he did not get anything in the mor- in the afternoon when they woke up. Spectra watched the viewing screen. It was a big screen on the entire front wall of the main hall. It was currently showing a blue sky with some clouds. Spectra realised that their sleeping rythme has changed here in space. They just slept whenever they wanted. It felt like the time was different out here. And why is Gus taking so long? Spectra was stupid to insist on him going to battle. He hated to be apart from Gus longer than necessary. What if something happens to him? He is fighting with Brontes, and even though his evolution was a success, he was not as strong as Vulcan. He was a Haos Bakugan too, his fighting style relied on magic, illusions and tricks, while Gus was used to battle with Vulcan's sheer power and brute force. Spectra was sure he can do both, but he was still worried. 

"Commencing transport." Vestal Destroyer announced.

"Gus, you have returned." Spectra said, still looking at the clouds.

"Yes, master Spectra." There was bitterness in Gus' reply.

"What happened with Volt?" He asked.

"Sorry, sir. He said he had no desire to leave the Vexos and join us, master Spectra." Gus was sad to report his failure.

"Oh, well, at least you tried." There was not even a bit of disappointment in his voice. Gus looked at Brontes, blaming him for his failure.

"You served you purpose, but now I'm done with you." He threw him into the transporter and sent to New Vestroia.

"Gus, let's go to the lab. Project Irritant is waiting for us."

"Yes, master." They both left for the laboratory.

"Gus, don't be upset about this. You did not lose anything, so it does not matter, right?" Spectra asked, seeing that Gus is still sad. He took his mask off and gave him a worried look.

"But I did not win anything either." Gus lowered his head. Spectra placed his hand on it.

"Neither did I, do not worry about it. Come here." He hugged him and Gus responded with kissing him. It was slow and somehow soothing.

"You always know how to make me feel better, master." Gus smiled.

"You do that all the time, it is only natural to do it in return." Spectra was smiling too. Then he realised something. "Gus, how long has it been since we visited the training room for the last time?"

"Uhm. Several tens of days, I think. The truth is, I was tired too quickly in today's battle." Gus admitted. He almost forgot how important his physical condition is for battle.

"I felt the same when I battled Dan. We concentrated on our projects too much and forgot to work out." Spectra agreed.

"Let us head there, then." They went to the training room. It was a large empty room with very special walls that were able to simulate any environment. Gus and Spectra left their jackets at the entrance and inserted the sword cards into their gauntlets. The swords took a distinct shape and length for everyone.

"Do you want to train with me or do some exercises first?" Spectra asked.

"I doubt I will be able to beat you in my current state." Gus laughed. 

"Oh come on, I am so out of shape even Lync could beat me if he tried." Spectra replied, laughing at the memory.

According to the rules, all Vexos had to train hand-to-hand combat at least an hour every day, because they had to be able to protect the royal family. They usually trained separately since they all lived somewhere else, but when they met on Vestal Destroyer and trained together, they always had a good time. Even though the relationships between them could never be described as 'friendly', the common trainings were so fun that even Gus was enjoying it, even though he hates anything that has something to do with physical activity. One day, Lync and Volt came over to visit and when they trained together, Lync challenged Spectra to a sword fight. That was a big mistake. He barely dodged Spectra's first two attacks, the third one knocked him down. It was quick. Volt's 'disappointed dad' face made Gus laugh. He usually did not allow himself to laugh in front of Spectra, because it would make him look careless, but this was an exception. 

"I remember that one. After that, you took on me and Volt and we both went down miserably." Gus wiped away tears of laughter.

"It was the first time in saw you smile." Spectra said without thinking. The mood softened. Their faces were closer, and closer, and... Spectra put his blade between them. Gus stepped back.

"Wha-?"

"You will have to beat me first." Spectra smirked and Gus lifted his gauntlet in front of his eyes. His blade was only a bit longer than his fingers, which put him in a disadvantage, since Spectra's sword was as long as his whole arm. Spectra swung his sword against him and Gus dodged. Spectra noticed that a normal person would dodge this by ducking, but Gus stepped back instead. After a few more attack, he found out that Gus' moves are different from the ones he learned him. He edited them so that he protects his hair from getting cut? Seriously? Spectra started attacking his hair on purpose and Gus' dodges were getting more and more acrobatic. Suddenly, Gus fell back and kicked Spectra's feet from under him. Spectra fell on his back and Gus quickly put his blade on his neck.

"I win." He smiled, put the gauntlet away and leaned forwards. Spectra's face was suddenly closed in a cage of blue hair. This kiss was a bit different. Not only they were both tired and breathing heavily, but Gus was pressing Spectra into the floor and their half-opened mouths seemed to fight each other. Spectra moaned when Gus' teeth brushed his bottom lip. The room was completely quiet, except for their breathing. Spectra felt the pleasure flowing through his spine into his back and hips. He wrapped his arms around Gus' waist and pulled him closer. Gus moved his hips against Spectra's.

"Gus..." Spectra exhaled into the kiss. 

'Spectra, he's underage, remember? Hold your horses.'

'Keith, I... can't... he's... too much... I can't... handle...'

'You know you can speak normally in your head, right?'

'I... can't... even... think... straight... I... love... him... so... much...'

'You and I both, Spectra, but could you please calm down?'

'He's... so... good... I... need... more...'

'Spectra, no! Wait one more year.'

Spectra slid his hands down along Gus' body. When he reached his belt and slipped his fingers under it, Gus jerked back, separating them. Spectra immediately regretted his actions.

"I-I'm so sorry, Gus, I didn't mean to..." Gus looked hurt, but he placed his finger on Spectra's lips.

"No, master, I'm sorry. But... it's too soon for that." Gus stood up and offered his hand to Spectra. 

"Leave me alone, please." Spectra whispered and looked away. Gus nodded and left the room.

'I messed up.'

'Yes, you did.'

'I'm so stupid, Keith.'

'Yes, you are.'

'And selfish too. I hurt him only because of my stupid desires. Now, he won't want me to be close to him ever again.'

'Probably, yes.'

'But I want him so badly, Keith! He has everything I ever wanted: Personality that fits perfectly with mine, emphasising my strengths and covering my weaknesses. Words that make my heart race. Soft touches that make my skin tingle. Illegally good at kissing. I want to know everything about him.'

'You have a long way to go.'

'But it does not have to take so long!'

'It's his first time, Spectra.'

'It is my first time too!'

'But he's different. He thinks about the consequences of his actions before doing them. The exact opposite of you.'

'What?'

'Remember that time in bathroom? This is what you should do. Ask him first. Remember, he does not want it to take ages either. But you need to give him time to think.' 

'I should go and apologise.'

'Yes, you should.'


	17. The beginning of the end

Gus slammed the bathroom door behind him. He took of his clothes, threw them into the corner and let the tub fill with water. He was standing on the edge, facing the mirror. The tub was full. He closed his eyes. 

"I messed up." He held his nose and let himself fall back-first into the water. His body sunk to the bottom, his hair filling with water. Then he realised that he is drowning, kicked himself back above the surface and desperately grabbed the edge. He inhaled the humid air.

"What am I doing?!" He asked himself, hitting the metal side of the pool with his forehead.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He continued. "I want him too, do I not? Where is the problem? Why did I run away? Because it would be against the law? I do not have to care about the law when I am floating in space! And I really do love him, then where is the problem? I promised to do everything for him, and when it comes down to it, I back out? Is that who I am? A disloyal coward?" Gus reached his conclusion. "Yes, I am." Gus realised that his wet hair are covering his torso until below the end of his spine like a dress.

Someone knocked on the door. Is it...?

"Gus, can I come in?" He heard Spectra's voice.

"Yes." He answered, still angry at himself. Spectra entered. Gus was facing the middle of the tub, turning his back on Spectra. He heard him undress, slip into the water and shriek. What? Spectra never...

"Gus, are you trying to boil yourself?" He looked at the thermostat. "Forty degrees? Are you not dying?" Despite his depression, Gus had to laugh. He did not like water, but if it was nicely warm like this, it was OK. When he was sad, he liked to spend several hours like this. "Look, Gus," Spectra continued, "I'm really sorry for what I did. I act and start thinking when it's too late."

"No, master, I am sorry for being scared." Gus said, still unable to face Spectra. 

"D-did I scare you? I'm so sorry, Gus, I did not mean to..." Spectra sounded worried and hurt. Gus had never heard him like this before. "Gus, please forgive me." Gus forgot to breathe. Spectra was begging him for forgiveness? Gus turned around to see Spectra bowing his head. Gus' heart was in pain. He humiliated his master. Having your master bow to you is a violation of like every paragraph in the Servant Codex. His eyes filled with tears. He could not hold it any longer.

"I'm sorry for being a failure, master!" He buried his face in Spectra's shoulder, his body was shaking. Spectra wrapped him in his arms.

"You are not a failure, Gus." He replied, sounding almost offended.

"I am," Gus sobbed. "I humiliated you more than anyone else ever did. I do not deserve-"

"That's so not true!" Spectra interrupted him. "You deserve everything and even more, Gus. I am the one who does not deserve you." Gus suddenly pressed a kiss on Spectra's lips. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks.

"Let’s just say that we both messed up and we will never do it again." They pressed their foreheads together.

"Agreed." At this point, neither of them realised that they are both cuddling completely naked, only separated by Gus' hair. Spectra pulled away, staring at the water surface. "But seriously, Gus, how can you survive this heat?" He climbed out of the tub and covered himself with a towel.

"How can you not?" Gus laughed, looking up at Spectra innocently. 

"I was there like thirty seconds and I am already hot!" Spectra's voice was more high-pitched than Gus thought was possible.

"You were hot even before." He remarked and Spectra froze as he realised what he said. He hid his face behind the towel. Gus got out of the tub and seated himself under the hairdryer, not even bothering to use a towel first. He calmly ordered Vestal Destroyer to turn it on. It took a few seconds for him to be perfectly dry, except for one thing, which was the reason why he hated to get his hair wet: His blow-dried hair created a fluffy ball around his head, and it was impossible to change it. Gus had to wait a few hours for them to return to their normal state. He let out a frustrated sigh and put his clothes back on. Then he turned around and saw Spectra. He was sitting on the floor cross-legged, staring at him disbelievingly.

"What on earth is up with your hair, Gus?" He asked softly, with a lot of feelings.

"It's... just a thing they do. There is nothing I can do against it. It will go back to normal soon." Gus smiled hopelessly. 

"No way." Spectra pointed at a spot in front of himself. "Sit down here."

"Wh-"

"This is an order, Gus. Sit down in front of me and show me your back. I am sure you know what to answer." 

"Yes, master Spectra." Gus gave in and carried out his master's orders. Spectra covered Gus' shoulders with his towel, formed a bowl of his palms, took some water from the tub and splashed it on Gus' hair. "Master?" Gus asked, surprised and confused. Spectra continued without a word until Gus' hair was completely wet again. Then he reached for a hairbrush and brushed Gus' hair slowly and thoroughly. Gus was enjoying the gentle touches of Spectra's fingers as he took a portion of his hair above his forehead and started braiding it. It felt really nice and Gus decided he will let him do that more often. Spectra was working carefully and exactly and it took him some time to finish. After he was done, Gus stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. It looked really beautiful and well-done. 

"Better?" Spectra asked while getting dressed.

"Where did you learn that?" Gus asked, even more surprised than before. 

"I have a little sister, remember?" Spectra grinned. "She was really good at this, but she could not do it on her own head, so she always made me help her. I never thought a dumb skill like this could actually come in handy, though."

"It is not dumb, it is amazing." Gus smiled back and Spectra blushed.

"Um, how about we go to sleep?" He asked and Gus could not agree more. 

"As you wish, master Spectra."

\---

Spectra was woken up by Vestal Destroyer.

"Incoming transmission."

"Shh, be quiet! Wait a second, I am coming to the main computer." He whispered in response, barely awake, just to spare Gus of the same unpleasant awakening. He quickly grabbed his shirt and mask and got dressed as he walked.

"Where does it come from?" He asked.

"The source of the transmission is unknown."

"Suspicious. Move it to a separate computer unit and scan for potential threats."

"Scan completed. No threats found."

"Even more suspicious." Spectra sat down in front of the screen. "Open it."

"The amount of data we just received is tremendous. A full analysis will take approximately ten hours."

"We better start now, then." 

The data was weird. Spectra could not understand it completely and as he was scrolling through this pack of question marks, his mind slid back to his last battle with Dan. Suddenly, he realised something. He ran back to the bedroom.

"Gus! Gus, wake up!" 

"What is going on?" Spectra knew that this is not the time, but he could not help but think how cute Gus looks right now. 

"I just realised something. Why did Volt want to battle Dan the other day?" Gus was quiet for a while and Spectra waited for his brain to get to work.

"No idea, but he had a reason for sure." Gus realised.

"We need to get into the Palace's computers, now. I have a really bad feeling about this." 

"Yes, master Spectra." Gus stood up too and they rushed to the main hall. It was around three in the night and the servants were still sleeping, so it was very quiet and peaceful. Both of them sat down in front of the screens and got to work. It took several hours until they managed to connect with their computers. Gus was copying the files and Spectra was reading and analysing them with his mask that allowed him to read the entire page just by looking at it for a second. 

"Bakugan Termination System?!" Spectra gasped.

"What?!" Gus replied along with Helios, Vulcan and Elico, who turned into their ball forms and joined them.

"Look, they apparently invented something that is supposed to wipe out all Bakugan. To power it they need something called 'Six Attribute Energies' that the Brawlers have. Zenoheld already has Haos, Subterra and Aquos Energy." Spectra explained.

"That is bad." Gus commented. Spectra continued scrolling through the research log for the BT System.

"My father may be a crazy psychopath for creating this, but look at the technology!" Gus stood up and looked at what Spectra was so amazed with.

"This," Gus pointed at the screen, "is a good idea. We could maybe use it to do some small improvements on Helios." 

"I can try." Spectra nodded and headed to the lab.

"I will continue working here. We obtained a lot of data I can use to upgrade our Transporter." Gus nodded.

\---

Spectra did one simulation after another, but there was still something wrong. He must have missed something. It just did not work.

"Drago and Helios have faced off several times now and still, we have yet to be victorious. It's embarrassing." He intended to talk to Keith, but he accidentally said it out loud.

"Drago's been lucky, that's all. My strength and abilities are far superior." Helios replied. He was watching Spectra work with impatience. 

"Perhaps, but your track record says otherwise. You are powerful, but in addition to possessing the Perfect core energy, Drago has also evolved after being bestowed with one of the Attribute Energies. You are mighty, Helios, but Drago is perhaps even mightier." Spectra said.

"Nonsense! Drago isn't the only one who has evolved. With the amount of power I have acquired, I can beat anyone. I am perfection!" Helios was really excited about this.

"Ah, the perfect evolution. -" Spectra wanted to continue, but he was interrupted by Gus' arrival.

"Master Spectra, you need to hear this. Sensors are showing that the Vexos are on the move." Gus reported.

"What?" Spectra stood up.

"Sir, it appears that they're heading towards Earth. My guess is they found the Brawlers' hiding spot and they're going after the remaining Attribute Energies. If they're successful in attaining them, we'll be helpless in stopping them from launching the Bakugan Termination System." Gus continued his report.

"Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. I'll find a window of opportunity to capture the perfect core energy." Spectra turned to Helios. "You wanted another chance to prove yourself? This is it, Helios. Are you ready for a final showdown with Drago? All or nothing?"

"I will destroy Drago once and for all, believe it!" Helios answered.

"Gus, how is our Transporter?"

"It could not be better. It is now able to open a gate to another dimension big enough for the entire ship." Gus replied proudly.

"Magnificent. Let's put it into practice, then." Spectra could not expect any less from his amazing boyfriend. They went to the main hall. "Locate Dan's gauntlet and transport us to his location." 

"Yes, master Spectra. It will take some time to search for him on Earth, though." Gus noted.

"Vestal Destroyer, bring us some breakfast while we wait." Spectra ordered. 

When they finished eating and found out Dan's location, it was noon. They opened a gate and entered it. Spectra let the viewing screen show what is directly in front of the ship and watched it with pride. Gus realised that his hair is still braided, but already dry. He quickly freed them and brushed them so that they look natural. They were slightly curlier than usually. He hoped that no one will notice.

"You do not have to worry, Gus, you look as gorgeous as ever." Spectra commented with a smirk when he saw him checking his look in a pocket mirror.

"Thank you." Gus smiled gratefully.


	18. A decision to make

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating two days late, but longer and with a lot of drama!

~Episode 90 - All or nothing and Episode 91 - Avenging Spectra~

"That sure is a big house." Spectra commented when he saw the house below. "Thousands of people must live there. How are we going to find Dan?"

"You do not have to worry, master. This is Earth we are talking about. I would bet that the Brawlers are the only residents of that place. Besides, with our new transporter, I can get Dan up here into our training room and it will take just a few seconds." Gus smiled. 

"Do it. I will wait for him there. Join me after you finish."

"Yes, master Spectra."

\---

"What? Where am I?" Dan was confused, as expected. 

"Don't I get a hello? Where are your manners? I expected better from the leader of the Brawlers. Sorry about the smash 'n' grab, but I didn't think you'd come willingly." Spectra smirked. ((Author note: I hope I spelled it correctly, this word is not in my dictionary...))

"I trust the transport was painless. I did my best to be gentle." Gus added with the same facial expression as his master. 

"Gus! Spectra!" Wow, Dan, you know their names? Good job!

"You've got nerve, taking us against our will! What do you want?" Drago was the first one on their side who managed to say something intelligent. Too bad for him, he insulted Spectra, and that is something Gus will not let slide.

"Silence! How dare you speak to master Spectra like-" Spectra stopped him with his hand. 

"Just relax. Why get hung upon manners, we should be discussing the real reason they're here: the perfect core energy that Drago possesses." He was still smirking calmly.

"He means the perfect core energy that's about to become mine!" Helios added. 

"Try it, Helios." Drago said, but Dan silenced him.

"Hah, it's actually kinda funny we should meet like this. We were all just talkin' about you guys." He said. There was clearly an intention behind this.

"Oh?" Spectra raised an eyebrow. It was not visible due to his mask, but Gus could imagine how sexy would that look and blushed a little. Luckily, Dan was too busy talking trash to notice.

"We want you to show us where the Mother Palace is! Take us there and we'll fight Zenoheld and the Vexos together!"

"Us? Work? With you? Are you crazy?" Gus' reaction made his opinion clear to Spectra, and he felt the same.

"They're just stalling because they're afraid to battle us." Helios commented.

"Be quiet Helios! Let him speak." Drago said.

"What did you say?" If Helios was not angry before, he was now.

"In case you didn't notice, Dan, I don't exactly play well with others. And the Brawlers would be the last people I'd partner with." Spectra answered. 

"Mira told me about you! You wanna destroy Zenoheld!" Dan made everything sound so simple.

"Ah, did she now? It's a little more complicated than my dear sister thinks, I'm afraid." Spectra decided to forgive Dan his stupidity and give him an explanation. 

"Huh?"

"My one true goal is to create a completely evolved living organism unlike anything the world has seen. My dream, my mission is to create the ultimate Bakugan!"

"Say what?"

"It's true. The ultimate being will be more powerful and glorious than anything that has come before! I will be the ultimate Bakugan and all will bow down to me. The only thing left for me to do in order to fulfil my destiny is to take the perfect core energy from you, Drago!" Helios contributed.

"So, there you have it. My little plan." Spectra smirked again. 

"Can Bakugan that mighty exist? Do you think that that's even possible, Drago?" Dan. With Vestal science and the power of love, everything is possible.

"I don't know. But meddling with the natural order of things can never and well. Spectra's actions will have consequences." Drago replied. 

"Just hang on a second. This ultimate creation of yours that you've been talkin' about ... at the end of the day, it's still a Bakugan, right? If that's true, then... when the BT System is activated, it will be just as deadly to him as all of the other Bakugan, so there! Come on, you can't just stand by and let it happen! It would be horrible. Help us, together we can stop the Vexos!" Did Dan just say something that actually made sense?

"Together." Drago agreed.

"You may have a valid point, but I'm not just going to roll them over for you, Dan. We both have something the other wants, so why not put it to a duel?" Spectra was getting bored with talking. 

"A duel?" Spectra put his gauntlet on. 

"Helios versus Drago. If we lose, I will take you to the Palace without delay."

"Huh? For real?"

"Sure, but if I win, you will surrender the perfect core energy to me."

"Are you serious?"

"Dan!" Drago warned him.

"What's wrong? Afraid you'll lose, Drago?" Helios noted. 

"What do you say, Dan?" Spectra asked.

"I say let's get it done!" He also activated his gauntlet.

"You're going down, Helios." Drago announced.

"Gauntlet power strike!"

\---

Dan won, but Spectra did not lose. Quite the opposite, actually. He came to a realisation. His methods to make Helios stronger were useless. A Bakugan needs only sheer willpower to evolve and become stronger. He realised that he forgot what he already knew: The power of the Bakugan comes from inside. He cannot force Helios to be more powerful, he just needs to draw out the power hiding inside of him, just like he did at the very beginning in the arena.

"A deal is a deal, Spectra, pay up!" It was funny how Dan kept wanting to be friends with Spectra, yet he didn't trust him at all.

"Gus, just the worthy ones." He ordered. Gus knew what he meant immediately. Spectra cannot afford to let into his house just anyone. Only those chosen by the Ancients can go. One by one, he locked onto their gauntlet's coordinates and transported them next to Dan.

"I invited only those who were chosen by the Six Ancient Warriors to be bestowed with an Attribute Energy." He explained and turned to Gus. "Gus, prepare the dimension transporter to take us to the Mother Palace."

"Yes." Gus shot a last glance at the Brawlers. He did not like to see them alone with Spectra, but he had orders to follow. He could operate the short-range transporter remotely, but to open a gate between Dimensions for the entire ship, he needed the main computer. 

Spectra followed him. He did not have time to be standing here with them, not when he finally understood what some of the parts of the data he received at night could be used for. 

"Thanks for showing me the way, Dan Kuso. I owe it all to you, my friend." He called him that by accident, but once he did, he realised that he never thought about Dan as an enemy. An obstacle, yes, but he did not hate him or anything. In fact, they have really gotten close during the time they knew each other, and they were similar in many ways. Could that be considered friendship?

"What is he talking about?" Drago asked. Spectra had no idea himself.

"Just stay here and don't touch anything." He sighed and closed the door. He went to the main hall and watched the dimensional gate on the viewing screen. Gus joined him. 

"How do you feel, Helios?" He asked.

"I've felt better." Helios sighed. "Spectra, please! Please help me evolve to the next level and I will do whatever you ask of me!"

"Very well, we should all look at this, then." He smiled. A screen appeared in front of them, showing a small portion of the mysterious data. 

"Master Spectra, what is this?" Gus did not understand the data, but he watched the DNA-helix curiously. 

"Bio-data that details a new method of Bakugan evolution. This was sent to me by an anonymous source earlier today. I haven't had a chance to analyse it all yet, but I do know that by using this data we can bring out new powers from within the Bakugan."

"New Bakugan powers?" This sounded very pleasantly to Helios. 

"It's very exciting, isn't it? To be entering uncharted territory like this." 

"It really is." Gus was trying his best to speak calmly, but Spectra could see his eyes shining. Gus' excitement not only made him look beautiful, but it was also very contagious. Spectra felt Gus' fingers wrap around his wrist and gently pull him towards the lab. He smiled and followed him. Gus was literally jumping with excitement through the hallways. 

\---

He was standing in front of the lab computer.

"'Data'? Seriously? You did not name the project yet?" He laughed. Spectra was leaning on the closed door with an amused expression. 

"I wanted you to name it."

"Project Perfect Evolution." Gus decided and typed it into the computer. Then he opened the data and started reading, eyes glued to the screen. "It seems familiar somehow." He noticed after a while. Spectra came closer to take a look. "Look." He opened another window with Project Emanation right next to the data for Project Perfect Evolution. "It seems that the data describes that Bakugan have power similar to the Emanation cells."

"That means that we could make Helios grow an armor or new weapons." Spectra turned towards their 3D model display.

"Let's give it a try." Gus agreed. Both of them concentrated on their computers, trying to figure out a way to make the data become new power for Helios. Spectra found something in the DNA-helix he was watching. He typed something in. The 3D model of Helios in ball form moved his wings to the sides, making place on his back. The data created a box with two guns and placed it there. 

"Gus, come look at this!" Spectra smiled.

"You did it, sir." Gus smiled too. "It does not look like an armor though, more like some sort of battle gear." Gus shared his thoughts.

"Battle Gear? I like that." Spectra typed the term in before Gus could protest. "I know that this is just an unfinished prototype, but you can give it a name too."

"I need something really good for this... Something like..." Gus bit his bottom lip while he was thinking. Spectra could feel his heart skip a beat. Cute. "Twin Destructor!" Gus was the only person in the universe who was able to say words like this with pure innocent smile. Spectra hugged him around his shoulders and pressed their cheeks together.

"As expected of my amazing boyfriend." He said with a fond smile. He meant this to be just a thought, but it escaped his lips before he could stop it. He blushed and so did Gus, because this was a big compliment coming from the future king of Vestal. Gus turned around and placed his lips on Spectra's, softly exchanging happiness through this connection. That lasted for a few minutes.

"We have arrived at our destination. Turning off main reactor. Engaging stabiliser thrusters." Vestal Destroyer announced. 

"Prepare to transport the Brawlers from the training room to the Palace's surface." Spectra replied. "We are coming too, Gus, let's go." He smiled, connecting their hands.

"Yes, master." They went to the main hall and transported themselves from there.

\---

The Brawlers were surprised by the size of the Palace. How could they? It was so obvious that a king who does not care about his people will live in a bubble of luxury, and will take a lot of space just for himself even though the population density of the planet is five per square metre. And they are asking where the BT System is? Easy. Zenoheld is the type of person who puts his achievements right next to him because he wants to show off. And if his dimension transporter is in the throne room, the BT System will not be far away, definitely somewhere in the main tower.

"Hey, Spectra, how about a little help? Taking down Zenoheld is a good thing for both of us!" Spectra sighed mentally. First of all, he did not like to be addressed 'hey'. Second of all, no, Dan, he will not fall for the same argument twice.

"The bet we made was to show you the location of the Palace, Dan, not to do your dirty work for you." Spectra did not have time to play with children, he had other things to do.

"What?"

"C'mon, Spectra, you in a bad mood? What's with all the attitude, huh?" A little boy talking to him this way was an insult to Spectra.

"It appears that you think we're partners, but let me assure you, we're not."

"Master Spectra has honored his part of the bargain, now get lost. We owe you nothing more." Gus was also disgusted by the way the Brawlers acted around Spectra as if they were best friends. 

"Huh? I don't understand you guys, we should be united on this." How can Dan still be surprised?

"You're a fool to think we could ever be united on anything." Spectra was really tired of this. He will help them a little, but not now, not directly and in his own way. He will not run around the Palace like they intend to. "Let's go, Gus."

"Yes, master Spectra." Gus activated the transporter. "So, what are we going to do now, master?" He asked when they appeared in the main hall.

"Prepare to transport us to his throne room. It has to be precisely on the steps in front of the throne, in the middle of the Vexos, on the red carpet. Make sure to pinpoint the exact location." Spectra ordered. Gus did not even ask. He knew that the are going to try to negotiate. As always, master Spectra was choosing words over force, how noble.

"Commencing transport."

\---

Their arrival was accompanied by horrified gasps from the Vexos. 

"Come now, is that any way to greet your former leader? Oh, that's right, you left me for dead." Spectra went directly to the topic in his usual passive agressive way.

"Yeah, well, you should've stayed that way, traitor." Mylene answered, still mildly shocked. With the last word, Gus started to get ready to bite her head off.

"It's been a long time, welcome home, Spectra." Gus was not sure whether Zenoheld is serious or sarcastic.

"This wretched place could never be home to me, Zenoheld." Spectra answered calmly.

"Hey, watch your mouth, Spectra." No, you should watch your mouth, Hydron. 

"Enough, Hydron. I don't understand why you're so hostile, Spectra, after bringing me the wonderful gift of the Brawlers."

"Bringing them here was a gift to them, not you. They are here to destroy your precious BT System." Spectra was still calm. Gus admired it, because his blood was slowly beginning to boil.

"What's that?" Volt asked.

"Yeah? And I bet you came along to help them, didn't you?" Shadow accused them. Yes, Gus was angry now.

"Let's all calm down." Shut up, Mylene.

"Mylene is right, Gus." Spectra warned him. Gus tried to do as he was said, but it was hard to just stand there when they talk to them like this. 

"Yes, master Spectra."

"Father, let me go, I'll capture the Brawlers!"

"No need to panic, Hydron, the Brawlers pose no real threat to the BT System or our plan." Zenoheld shut him up. Spectra laughed at that.

"You sure about that, Zenoheld? Enough to bet your future on it?"

"Worry not, Spectra."

"Yeah, you better go home and kiss your girlfriend goodbye because we're going to take you down for good too!" Shadow laughed.

"At least I've got someone." Spectra muttered without thinking. That was definitely an answer no one expected.

"The emotionless Spectra's got a girlfriend! Is it Mira?" Lync joined with an arrogant smile, as if he knew something the others did not.

"Ooh, it's Mira isn't it? The traitor has fallen for a Brawler!" Shadow continued. Gus was dying inside. Why did they immediately pair master Spectra with Mira?

"Now then, Spectra, I'm sure you wouldn't have come all this way unless you wanted something. What is it? Come on, now, out with it!" Zenoheld cleared his throat. How dare he sit there so smugly after he falsely accused master Spectra and framed him. Gus decided to make him pay.

"Alright, since you asked so nicely." Spectra fake-sighed. "I want you to leave the Brawlers alone."

"What's that?" Zenoheld seemed to be amused. "My boy, you've got to be kidding me!"

"I promise you I am very serious. But if you do this we can start again. I will wipe the slate clean and forget that you ever falsely accused me." Gus was surprised by how generous Spectra was. He basically offered Zenoheld that he will put him back on Vestal throne and forget everything he ever did if he allows the Brawlers to destroy the BT System. 

"Falsely accused you?" Mylene replied, not even bothered by the fact that she just spoke in the king's stead and therefore broke the Servant Codex.

"What's this trash you're talking, traitor, huh?" Shadow joined her. Gus was not even surprised by that, he never saw Shadow follow the rules, but Mylene usually respected the king and obeyed his orders unconditionally.

"Enough! I'm not going to listen to any more of this nonsense!" Even though Hydron was apparently not a prince anymore, he was still a spoiled little brat who refused to follow anything but his own childish desires.

"It seems you've got things backwards, Spectra. It's you who's hurling false accusations. What is clear, however, is your undeniable betrayal of the Vexos. What do you have to say for yourself?" Zenoheld was smirking confidently. What betrayal? What was he supposed to do after they let him die on New Vestroia? Go to Vestal and let them put him into a prison?

"Let's hear you lie your way out of this one." That's it. Now he's done it.

"Silence! I will not allow you to mock master Spectra any further!" Gus could no longer stay quiet. Master Spectra never lies.

"Gus, what did I say?" Spectra warned him for the second time. Gus was usually not this disobedient, but he could not stand this.

"But sir-"

"No buts, we are here to negotiate. We don't have time for this childish bickering." Gus shrunk a few centimetres under Spectra's glare, but he refused to forgive Zenoheld and the Vexos. 

"I'm sorry, master Spectra." This was a lie. Well, not entirely. He was sorry for breaking the rules, but he would do it again any time. No one will insult master Spectra, not on his watch.

"I'll say it again. I want you to leave the Brawlers alone. If you know what's good for you, you'll listen to me." Spectra raised his voice, but Gus was surprisingly not scared. He was furious. 

"I see time has done nothing to lessen your arrogance. I think it's time you were on your way, Spectra." It is not arrogance, it is confidence. And how can he be as rude as to throw master Spectra out?

"You heard him! You're lucky my father king Zenoheld has forgiven your insolence and betrayal. You better leave while you still can!" Hydron added.

"Very well then, Zenoheld. Good luck on your road to ruin." This was a clear threat and it made Gus feel at least a bit better. But just a little. "Time to go, Gus."

"Okay." Gus followed Spectra with reluctance. He transported them to the ship. 

\---

Immediately after they appeared in the main hall, Spectra took his mask off.

"Gus-" He was looking at Gus apologetically. He wanted to say something, but Gus cut him off.

"I am sorry for my behaviour, master. Please excuse me." He left before Spectra could say anything. He put his jacket into the bedroom and transported himself into the Palace's servants quarters. He tied his hair back, put an uniform over his clothes and used small glasses to hide his face. It was easy to blend in with the servants. Their routine has not changed since he was a Vexos member, and back then he memorised everything about how the Palace works. He was the only Vexos member who bothered to do such thing, but he never regretted he did. He joined the servants working at today's lunch.

'I know what I'm doing. I have it planned and I have thought about everything carefully. I am not doing anything reckless. I am doing what my duty is. I am doing what my nature and the Servant Codex tell me to. I am avenging Spectra.'

\---

Why was Gus in such a rush? Where could he go? Where is he? Is he alright? Questions like these were running through Spectra's head. He knew he should leave Gus some space and privacy, but Gus did something without Spectra's consent very rarely and he was not used to it. The curiosity was killing him. He seated himself on his chair in the main hall and opened the transport log. The last location Gus locked on was... the Mother Palace? Servants lodgings? Why would he go there? Spectra leaned his head back and let out a frustrated sigh. He hated when there was a situation he did not like, but could not change. He could not follow Gus, that would endanger him even more. What was he up to anyway? Did he...? Oh no. No, please, no. No, he did not. His frustration turned into panic. He did not go to challenge Zenoheld, did he? At the exact moment, his gauntlet lit up. That terrified him even more. When one of their gauntlets powered up in battle, it automatically connected to the other. Spectra looked at the screen. Gus, when will you learn? Your hot temper is causing us trouble.  
Of course he was battling Zenoheld. Spectra watched the numbers rise and fall on both sides. Then, he saw Gus' life gauge drop to ten percent. The second round. Gus summoned Elico. Spectra could not part his eyes from the screen. He wished he could see this battle, or at least hear it. He wanted to know what is going on. And... maybe he could! If only he managed to connect with the microphone on Gus' gauntlet. He immediately jumped to the main computer, while still watching the battle. 

When he was almost done, he noticed that Gus summoned Hexados, but it was immediately defeated. Spectra had a really bad feeling, because a move like this was unlike Gus. He would never sacrifice anything, he was loyal to his Bakugan friends just as much as they were to him. Wait, and where is Elico? He disappeared too? 

"I'm sor... I ... avenge ... betray..., mas... Spectra." A muffled sound of Gus' voice left the speakers. It was so quiet that the stressed Spectra barely noticed. He fixed on the faint signal and amplified it. He could hear ugly sounds of battle and... Gus' scream, filled with despair. A cold hand squeezed Spectra's heart. He almost wished he did not hear it.

"Vulcan! It's okay, stop it! You don't have to do this!"

"Enough?" Vulcan's voice was distant and almost inaudible, but the pain in his voice was clear. "Just as your loyalty to master Spectra knows no bounds, so does my loyalty to you."

"Vulcan!" Several thuds followed. Spectra heard Zenoheld say something, but he could not understand what. Whatever it was, it made Gus laugh.

"Everything? No matter what happens, you'll never be able to take the bond of loyalty and friendship that I share with master Spectra." His words warmed Spectra's heart, but also saddened him. It sounded somehow melancholic, as if he knew that these are his last words. "Isn't that right, Vulcan?"

"Absolutely." Vulcan confirmed. Spectra felt something bad coming.

"Farewell to you, master Spectra!" Gus' life gauge dropped to zero and his gauntlet disconnected right after that. But the problem was that his signal disappeared completely.


	19. Goodbye, my friend

~Episode 92 - Ambush and Episode 93 - BT: The Final Battle~

Spectra knew that Gus is going to come back. The fact that his life signal disappeared definitely does not mean that he died. Not at all. And no, he is not talking to himself right now. He is talking to Keith.

'You're not talking to me, Spectra. Face it, you're going mad.'

'I'm not, Keith, I'm fine.'

'Yeah, right. What are you doing?'

'Analysing the Phantom data.'

'Oh really? You've been staring at this file for an hour now and you did not read a single letter.'

'That's not true! I'm reading it!'

'Yeah? And what is it about?'

'Um...'

'See? Let's try it again. What are you doing?' 

'I am thinking about Gus.'

'And what should you be doing?' 

'Analysing the Phantom data.'

'Then analyse the Phantom data, finish Twin Destructor, go out there and destroy Zenoheld.'

'Wait, you're... right?'

'Why so surprised?'

'No, I mean... Zenoheld knows where Gus is. I will defeat him and get Gus back.'

'That's the spirit!'

First of all, this file is currently useless to him. He should get back to analysing the DNA-helix, that should provide enough information to complete the Battle Gear. 

It was early in the morning when Spectra finished. He did not sleep at all, he just couldn't. After he finished, the screen briefly shone. Spectra thought it was suspicious, but not important.

"Twin Destructor is a go." The computer reported after running the last test.

"Did you find Gus?" Spectra asked.

"Target was not found."

"Reset the transmitter and try again." Spectra sighed. He refused to accept the fact that Gus is gone for good, but he needed a temporary replacement. He hardened his heart and put his mask on, throwing all of his emotions into a corner of their bedroom. 

"Vestal Destroyer, lock the transporter on the coordinates of Mother Palace's laboratory." He entered the transporter.

\---

Professor Clay was standing in front of him.

"Listen closely, I've got a proposition for you." Spectra knew that despite what he said to the Brawlers, he cannot work alone. He needed someone to restrain him, guide him and provide him a different point of view. 

"A proposition?"

"I'd like to offer you a place by my side."

"What's that?"

"Thanks to Zenoheld I've lost Gus, my loyal right hand. Luckily for you this has created a job opening. I will need someone with your superior technical abilities." Spectra just needed someone to talk to, otherwise he would go crazy sooner or later. 

"How arrogant of you to think I would serve under a boy." Spectra knew what Clay meant by that. He refused to work under his own son. Is working for a psychopathic mass murderer better?

"Perhaps you're the one who's being arrogant, professor Clay. Don't you want to hear what's in it for you?" He hoped that he will make Clay change his mind. Every scientist would do everything to acquire what Spectra was offering.

"Go on." He said reluctantly.

"In return for your service I will give you the key to the Bakugan's full DNA sequence. What do you say, professor? Is that something you might be interested in?" Clay seemed to be seriously impressed by Spectra's achievement.

"You have their full DNA sequence? For real?" 

"Would I lie to my own father? Let's do this, and take down Zenoheld together."

"You'll have to forgive my skepticism, but I think that we both know that we are no longer father and son." Spectra knew that, Keith was hurt.

"We both have much to gain here. Can't we leave the past behind us and move forward?" Spectra gave him one last chance. 

"I have nothing more to say. Now leave, Spectra, before I'm forced to summon the Palace guards." Spectra left. On foot, because he had other things to do here in the Palace.

'With Gus' disappearance and profesor Clay unwilling to join me, things are going to be difficult.'

'Difficult? Impossible! We need a friend! Our mental health is at stake here!'

'Still, I cannot lose momentum, especially since I am so close to having the DNA sequence fully analysed.'

'I know! It's so exciting!'

'But I have to remember what Dan said.'

'Just hang on a second. This ultimate creation of yours that you've been talkin' about ... at the end of the day, it's still a Bakugan, right? If that's true, then... when the BT System is activated, it will be just as deadly to him as all of the other Bakugan, so there!'

'How right you are, Dan Kuso. Time is of the essence. If I wait any longer, I might never get my hands on Drago's Perfect core energy. I suppose it's now or never.'

'Yes! Kill him! For Gus!'

'I will.'

\---

Gus slowly opened his eyes. He had no idea what happened. His entire body was in pain. Suddenly, his memories of his battle with Zenoheld hit him like a bus. His eyes went wide with realisation. 

"V- Vulcan? Are you alright? Can you hear me?" His voice was weak, but he was worried about his friend.

"I'll be fine. But Elico is in bad shape. I'm afraid he won't make it." Gus forced his aching limbs to move towards his friends. 

"Elico! We have to get you to a lab. And Hexados?" Gus was in pain more emotionally than physically.

"Hexados is gone." Vulcan answered in a tone that showed he does not think that he was just stolen by someone.

"Where are we anyway?" Gus looked around. It was a dark room with grey walls. There was only a bucket of water and a bunk bed inside. A small window with bars was the only source of light. Prison? Another memory came back. 

*flashback*

He was laying on the floor, barely conscious and barely alive. Zenoheld was standing next to him. 

"Make sure to find out everything this dog knows about its master." Zenoheld ordered. Someone grabbed Gus and forced him to stand, however, Gus was unable to. 

"C'mere, babe. I'll take you to my place." He whispered and picked Gus up. He passed out.

*flashback end*

Gus noticed that there is someone on the top bed, staring at him. The person climbed down and came to light. It was a woman, about 150 years old. She had short spiky dark green hair and big blue eyes and wore something that probably used to be a palace servant's uniform.

"Hello there, sister!" That was the weirdest greeting Gus had ever heard.

"Um, hello?" He answered, confused. He leaned on a wall and successfully managed to stand up and hide Vulcan and Elico in the warmth of his pockets.

"I'm called Rebellious Sally and I'm here for accidentally throwing a glass on the prince. What's your name?" Her voice sounded like a dull knife trying to cut glass.

"Gus Grav." He replied, not even bothering to think about how is it possible to accidentally throw something. Instead, he checked his clothes. It was dirty, but luckily not damaged.

"Of the Vexos?" Her heard a male voice from another cell.

"Not anymore." He noted sarcastically.

"Of the Ve-" Sally was shocked. "You're a man?!" Gus nodded, but then he realised what the problem is. He is supposed to share a cell with a girl. He was pretty sure that this was against Vestal Rights. Sally decided to take care of this.  
"Guards! Guards!" She yelled. "There's a man in my cell!" A guard came running here and looked through the window.

"Where?"

"There!" Sally pointed at Gus.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Sally." The guard rolled his eyes.

"She's speaking the truth!" Gus supported her.

"Sure, honey, and I'm king Zenoheld." He laughed. "Everyone, lights-out!" He turned around and left. Gus sat down on the bottom bed, assuming that it belongs to him.

"Get off my bed, you prick!" Sally screamed and kicked Gus down. Gus was too tired to argue with her, so he just stayed on the floor. "You look like a lost puppy!" She laughed. He remembered how he used to share his bed with master Spectra. He already missed him. He missed the warmth of his body. He almost felt Spectra's touches on his skin. He could not sleep. He spent hours just staring at the wall in front of him, thinking about his boyfriend, heart aching. Will he ever be able to see him again?


	20. To My Dearest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on, I will be using a bit more explicit language, mostly in the prison.

~Episode 93 - BT: The Final Battle~

"Wake up, asshole, it's morning!" Gus woke up after he got kicked into his back several times. The first thing he noticed was the cold.

"Where are my clothes?" He gasped when he found out that he was almost naked, covered only by a thin blanket. 

"They made me wash them for you. But I'm not going to do that ever again, Mr. High Education." She threw his clothes at him along with a white lab coat. Gus was surprised, but got dressed. Suddenly, the cell door opened. 

"It's morning, scum!" A guard yelled. Gus noticed that everyone is standing in front of their cells in a long line, so he followed Sally in doing the same. He realised that there were only women in the line he was standing in. Male cells were on the opposite side of the hallway. He also found out that there was only a few people who wore lab coats. Mostly they wore work overalls, including Sally. He figured that those with high education were forced to work in the laboratory, while the others did some actual hard work. A man walked towards them. Gus recognised the uniform of the warden. 

"Welcome to hell." Sally whispered playfully. 

"Did you sleep well?" Warden asked.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone answered.

"Was your breakfast good?" Gus was confused. He did not get any food, and after watching the other's looks, he assumed that they did not either.

"Yes, sir!"

Warden immediately noticed Gus. 

"Who's that?" He asked his assistant. 

"Number 725, Gus Grav, sir. We're supposed to find out everything she knows about her master by any means necessary." 

"Are you Gus Grav?" He asked Gus.

"Yes." The warden grabbed Gus' shirt and lifted him. 

"You are supposed to say 'Yes, sir!'." He ordered. 

"Yes, sir." Gus repeated.

"No, wait, I have an idea." Warden grinned. "You are going to call me 'master'."

"No way." Gus replied. Warden hit his body against the cell door.

"You are going to do what I say. You belong to me now." He leaned closer in attempt to kiss him. Gus' knee shot up and found its target exactly between the warden's legs. He let go and stepped back. Gus fell on the ground and got kicked by the warden's assistant. Once. Twice. Thrice. He stopped counting and focused on protecting his head.

"We will teach you to respect your superiors! Double the amount of hours she is supposed to spend in the interrogation room today!" Warden ordered. The assistant stopped kicking and Gus stood up and decided to try something. He was standing with pride worthy of a Vexos member, his head high, giving off the aura of superiority. Even though he was stripped of his title long time ago, a Vexos was the most powerful person on Vestal after the royal family. Gus knew that he could never compare to Spectra in this aspect, but he was still capable of evoking respect and the feeling of inferiority in others. He saw that the warden was fighting back the urge to bow his head. Success. 

Or not. He got kicked again. 

"You're no longer Vexos, don't try your tricks on me! We will break you! You will call me 'master'!" He shouted and kicked Gus down. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself, though. 

"The only thing I will call you is worthless trash." Gus replied kneeling on the floor. His eyes were filled with determination. He refused to obey a disgusting man like this. 

"You will pay for this!" The warden decided. He turned towards his assistant. "How many hours in the torture room does she have scheduled for today?"

"Two, sir."

"Double it."

"But sir, that will kill her..."

"Doubt it. When I say four hours, you will let her be there for four hours, do you understand?" Gus did not understand why is he shouting when they are standing less than two metres from each other. 

"Yes, sir."

"Everyone," warden turned to the prisoners, "this girl is the worst criminal in the history of this prison. Each and every one of you is free to do anything you want with her without any consequences." Gus did not know any law that would allow this form of punishment. Actually, he has not yet seen anything here that would be acceptable. Everything was illegal, and heavily so. "Now get to work! Everyone except for those who have interrogation, that means..."

"...Numbers 185, 259, 268, 304, 379, 496, 589, 635, 698 and 725." The assistant added. Gus stood up and along with other ten people followed the warden, while the assistant led the others towards their workplace. 

\---

"Spectra? Wha-?" Dan gasped when Spectra appeared on the battlefield. 

"I thought I'd help you take down Zenoheld. Isn't that what you wanted, Dan?" Spectra was here to ask questions, not to give answers.

"I thought you said you were done helping us!" Dan asked.

"What can I say? You made a convincing argument. Like you said, if the BT System is activated, it will be bad for both of us." Just shut up already, Dan. 

"Whatever, dude, the more the merrier, right, Mira? Let's do this!"

"Well, this is quite a surprise!" Hydron started, but was interrupted. 

"Are you people here to battle or just stand around and talk?" Zenoheld. Finally.

"You and I have a score to settle for what you did to Gus!" Spectra said to him. 

"Ah, yes, Gus, your little lapdog. Don't worry, he was loyal to his 'master Spectra' until the end." Spectra knew that too well. 

"Good help is hard to find and Gus won't easily be replaced. You'll pay for taking him from me!" He drew his gauntlet.

"An so the drama just keeps on coming." Hydron commented.

"Gauntlet power strike!"

Hydron started. Spectra did not know much about Dryoid. He was still a draft when Spectra left the Vexos. What he did know, though, was that even though he was a Subterra, he was not solid and strong. No, he was fast, flexible and agile, and his primary way of fighting was hand-to-hand with swords. Helios was a long-range fighter, so he just has to keep his distance. Spectra was aware of Wilda's and Drago's power, and he also knew that no matter how strong a battler is, defeating three opponents at once is close to impossible. 

"Helios, time to show them real power! Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand!" Helios' standing created a shock wave.

"Show-off." Hydron muttered, but Spectra could feel his envy. Dryoid could not compare to Helios' power. Dan and Mira attacked. Spectra held back, watching his opponent. Of course he was using swords. And they were apparently able to cut through any ability, nullifying it. Mira and Wilda fell. That was not a surprise for Spectra. Mira is a good strategist, but this is a battle of raw power.

"They're both Pyrus Bakugan, aren't they?" Hydron smirked suddenly. "Gate Card open! Pyrus spotting out!" Spectra knew the effect of this card very well. He designed it himself. And he knew the amount of power necessary to destroy it.

"Helios! Ability activate: Chaos Hyper Canon!" 

Then, Dan attacked again. Spectra was still just observing. He had a feeling that Hydron still had something up his sleeve. Wait, and trap field? What a disappointment. Spectra expected some high quality cheating from the royal family, not something this pathetic and low.

"Oh yeah, a trap field? So that's what you were up to, professor Clay." Spectra knew Clay heard him.

"They tricked us! Now what are we gonna do, huh?" Dan yelled. 

"Perhaps it's time that we try out some new equipment." Spectra proposed. He was eager to prove Clay that he is not as weak as he thinks. He will not be defeated by some trap field.

"Let's do it, Spectra. I'm itching to destroy something!" Helios agreed.

"Hey, you guys wanna fill us in a little here?" Dan asked.

"Sit back and watch." Spectra snapped at him. His hands were shaking as he entered the code to summon his Battle Gear. This is for Gus.

"Ready: Twin Destructor."

"Battle Gear, boost!" Spectra smirked as Hydron insulted his invention. Let's show them what Battle Gear is all about! Even Drago was impressed, which pleased Spectra. But Helios was way too talkative. "Stay focused! Remember that the Vexos are our current enemy! Battle Gear ability activate: Twin Destructor!"

Dryoid's power level was dropping at incredible speed. The Battle Gear's performance was even more impressive than Spectra imagined. He finally found something that makes a real Bakugan stronger than their mechanical counterparts. 

Dryoid was defeated hard. By 400 points. And Zenoheld finally came to play. Spectra did not hesitate to throw in his Gate Card, one that he personally enhanced just few hours ago. Their opponent was Pyrus Farbros. Spectra did not know him, so he must be new. And he was... strong. Spectra hated to admit it, but he was very strong. Suddenly, Helios and Drago were frozen and blocked from activating any abilities. Spectra was not afraid, though. He activated the Battle Gear and smirked. 

"Gate Card open: Enemy Resetter! This Gate Card nullifies all of my opponent's abilities, Zenoheld. That's not all. This card is also synchronised with the Battle Gear, doubling the attack power of the Battle Gear's abilities. Battle Gear ability activate: Twin Destructor level 2!" Farbros was on the verge of total annihilation. Spectra turned to Dan and told him to attack. Farbros was down, but not for good. Zenoheld was plotting something. Their power levels dropped again. Helios and Drago were defeated, losing the last Attribute Energy. Spectra did not really care. All he had to do was to get out of the BT System's range and Helios will survive. The problem was that he still did not find out where Gus is.


	21. Just Forget

~Episode 94 - Exodus and Episode 96 - Spectra's last stand~

Yeah, yeah, whatever. He will help them save the Bakugan. It's not like he has got anything better to do. At least he is not alone. He did not listen to them, though. He was lost in his thoughts, talking to himse- Keith. Right. Talking to Keith.

'Um, Spectra? You're not talking to me.'

'Shut up, Keith.'

"So, u-um, K-keith? Where's Gus right now? I mean... He's usually standing right by your side, isn't he? What happened to him?" Bad smalltalk topic, Mira. Spectra inhaled and focused all of his strength to reply without his voice cracking and him starting to cry.

"After he lost his battle to Zenoheld, Gus disappeared without a trace."

"Is that why you're helping us, then? Is it to avenge Gus?" Spectra did not wish for anything else but for Mira to shut tf up. Each and every word of hers was like another stab into his heart, and it hurt immensely. He changed the topic quickly.

"So tell me, Mira, where exactly on earth do you plan on taking all of the Bakugan we're transporting?" An image of Gus flashed through his head, how he used to chuckle every time Spectra said 'What on earth'. Another knife in his chest. Just calm down, Spectra. Ignore it. Ignore all of this. It does not matter at all. It's whatever.

No matter how uninterested Spectra was trying to be, he had to admit he was really impressed by the impenetrable shield of the BT System. Well, until he realised that the plans of it are in his computer. It brought up another lot of memories with Gus with braided hair. A sword cut through his ribcage. He wanted to leave. He wanted to be alone. He did not want anyone to see him in his current state.

When Drago returned after destroying the BT System, Spectra was glad that Helios was talking in his stead. He was not sure how long would he last if he had to talk to them. Memories of Gus were flying through his head like a hurricane and he was unable to stop it.

"So what's his problem, Keith? Are we not on the same team now? We fought well together, didn't we?" His sister pulled him mercilessly back into the conversation with an innocent smile and offered him her hand.

'Accept it, Spectra.'

'No way.'

'She will help you forget and move on! Gus is gone, face it! You need her! She is the only person we have left!'

Spectra slapped her hand away as if that could stop Keith. 

"Keith, why?"

"Mira, I told you when we started this not to mistake us for partners, didn't I? I work alone."

"But Keith..."

'Mira!'

"Time to go, Helios." He activated the transporter and left for some far corner of his dimension.

\---

"Fuck you, Zenoheld!" Spectra yelled after exiting the transporter. The servants in the main hall froze in shock. Something must be seriously messed up if Spectra used the f word. And it was. To be precise, Spectra was the one who was completely messed up. He was angry. Like really, really, REALLY angry. Like in the way that he wanted to go to Zenoheld, single-handedly rip his stone-hard and ice-cold heart out of his chest and stuff it into his mendacious mouth. This kind of angry. 

He stormed off to his bedroom, slamming the door shut with just enough force to freak out the poor servants. There, he threw his jacket, mask and shirt into the corner and stomped to the training room. He needed to let the frustration out. He spent several hours beating every ounce of energy out of his body until he eventually fell asleep on the floor. This entire time, Keith was yelling at him in his head and he stubbornly ignored him.

'Join the Brawlers!'

"No."

'Be with Mira!'

"No."

'Spectra, face the facts! Gus is gone!'

"He will come back."

'No, he won't! That's why you have to leave this cursed place and go to our sister! We can still be happy!'

"We do not deserve to be happy if he is not!"

'You have to move on!'

"I will never move on! Newflash, Keith, I really love him!"

'I do too!'

"No, you don't! You want to run away!"

'Imagine he could see you right now.'

"But he cannot! That is the problem!"

'His only wish was for you to be happy.'

"Do not talk about him in past tense!"

'Imagine his reaction if he found out that he made you sad!'

"Silence!"

'He would blame himself! It would make him cry!'

"Be quiet!"

'He would cry because of you!'

"Shut up, Keith! I do not have to listen to you!"

'You do and you will! You know I'm right!'

\---

'Good morning, Spectra.'

"Good morning, Gu- Huh? Keith? What on earth?" Spectra was confused first thing in the morning. He found himself sleeping in the training room and he could feel every single muscle. His body was in pain from overworking itself yesterday and sleeping on the floor. Then he realised what is going on. He got dressed and went to the lab. He checked all of Helios' stats to make sure he is ready. Today, he will make a final test of his power, then go and crush the Vest Palace to pieces.

'Spectra, what are you going to do?'

"Helios, meet me in the laboratory." Helios arrived almost immediately. "It's time. We can finally execute our plan to make you the ultimate Bakugan."

'What?'

"Finally."

"Get ready, Dan! The final battle will soon be upon you!"

'Spectra, don't!'

Spectra left for the main hall and Helios followed him. 

'Don't fight the Brawlers! Why would you do that? It doesn't even make sense!'

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Keith."

"Spectra, are you okay?" Helios asked after hearing Spectra talk to some invisible person.

"I'm fine, Helios." Was all he answered, but Helios was sure that he is anything but fine. His mind was distant, he was talking to himself and his decisions did not make sense. However, as long as he can battle Drago, Helios did not care. This is a problem they can solve later. 

"There will be no more destructions, no more rescue missions or confused agendas. In my next battle with Drago, I will be victorious!" Helios said. He was way too excited to be quiet. 

"It's good to see you haven't lost your fire, Helios." Spectra replied, pulled back to reality.

"It burns harder than ever, Spectra." Helios ensured him. After Spectra left to start the dimension transporter, he added: "I hope yours does too."

Vestal Destroyer picked the best place on Earth for their battle. To contact Dan, Spectra used a prototype of a device for telepathic communication he created long time ago. At least he gets the chance to test it. There was just one risk: Keith. If he manages to talk to Dan, Spectra is done for. He strengthened his grip on their body and pushed Keith's persona into their little toe.

'Spectra, what-'

Then, he could begin his communication with Dan.

'Dan Kuso. Can you hear me, Dan?'

'Huh? Spectra?'

'It is time, Dan, let's battle!'

'What? What do you mean? Where are you? Show yourself! Tell me why you wanna battle.'

'It's time to finalise my creation of the ultimate Bakugan!'

'Are you still going on about this crazy plan of yours? There's been enough fighting, Spectra, it's time for peace!' No, Dan, you are wrong. Spectra's fight is far from over.

'Helios, can you hear me?' Drago joined the conversation. Spectra connected the device with Helios' computer.

'I hear you, Drago.'

'The time for talking is over. Let the final battle begin now!' Spectra interrupted them.

'You wanna final battle? You got it, but this time you won't be walking away!' Dan agreed.

'Are you ready or not, Dan?'

'Yeah, more than ready. Let's do this, Spectra!'

Spectra ended the conversation. He let Dan to find him by himself. When he appeared, the Brawlers were with him.

'Spectra, don't do this!'

"I see you brought an army! Am I fighting your whole crew, Dan?" He did not care, he knew he would win anyway.

"Nope, just me!"

"Any last words, Drago?"

"Just three, Helios: Bring it on."

'Spectra, stop!'

"I am going to enjoy this."

"Not as much as me!"

"Gauntlet, power strike!"

\---

Spectra put everything he and Helios had in store into this battle. And yet, they lost. In the process, Helios' security circuits and a lot of other parts of his mechanical body suffered heavy damage and the Twin Destructor was completely destroyed.

"Helios?"

"I'm broken."

'You lost, Spectra. Admit defeat.'

"You okay, Spectra?"

"You're good, Dan. The best." At this moment, Spectra pulled back and let Keith take over. 

"Thanks, man."

"Perhaps it's time I consider working with the best instead of against them." He took his mask off. "Things are looking brighter." He noticed.

"Keith! Thank goodness you're back!" Mira hugged him. 

"I missed you, Mira."

"Welcome to the team, Keith. Drago, can you take us home?" Dan asked.

"I'm sorry, Dan, but this battle was too tiring. I don't have enough energy to transport us." Drago replied, still supporting half unconscious Helios.

"I can give you a ride. I need the ship to fix Helios anyway." Keith offered. 

"Sweet! Let's go!" Dan agreed." But don't lock us in an empty room like last time." He joked.

"Sorry about that." Keith smiled while ordering Vestal Destroyer to land. They needed to get Drago and Helios into the hangar. "But you should be glad it was the training room and not the haunted hallway in the basement."

"There is a haunted hallway on that ship?" Baron asked, scared.

"That's what I heard. I don't know, though. The ship is so huge and there are parts I never visited. There could be a graveyard somewhere for all I know." Keith was clearly joking, but Baron was freaked out.

"Calm down, Baron, he's just joking." Ace explained. They followed Keith to the ship while Drago was helping Helios into the hangar.

"I wasn't joking. There is actually a place the servants call 'The Haunted Hallway' and everyone avoids it." He laughed. He hid the fact that he never actually spoke to the servants. He knew Gus called it that, he was the head servant.

"Have you ever been there?" Runo asked.

"Of course not! What if it's actually haunted!" His expression made it obvious that he is being sarcastic and not scared at all. To be honest, Keith was more afraid of the ship in general because of the memories it carried. But Helios was his top priority right now. He entered the ship through the hangar door, still in a lively and easy conversation with his new friends. 

"Drago, could you please put Helios into that pod there?" Keith pointed his finger. "Oh, I can give you a healing bath too, if you want."

"I'm fine, but thanks." Drago replied sceptically. He still did not fully trust them.

"I'm not gonna do experiments on you, Drago, it's just a bath that helps your bruises to heal faster." Keith smiled kindly. He understood the distrust.

"It's really nice, go for it. It's a very rare opportunity." Helios agreed. "I'd love to take one if I could."

"Fine." Drago nodded.

"I would gladly give you one, Helios, but no healing water could help you now." Keith's expression saddened a little. "Also, guys, could you please wait outside the lab and not go in?"

"Why?" Shun asked suspiciously.

"I'm not gonna lie. Helios is in bad shape and the repairs will be painful, because SOMEONE had to destroy their security circuits and deal heavy damage to their entire body." Brawlers shot glances full of pity at Helios, who winced at these words.

"I have no regrets." He replied quietly.

"I know you don't and I'm very proud of you. Now get into the pod before it gets even worse." Keith gave him a worried smile and entered the laboratory. There was another reason why he did not want the Brawlers to go here. Just like his bedroom, the lab was a place where there was just him and Gus and no one else. Too much stuff happened here. Like... good stuff, but... stuff they do not need to know about. At least not yet.


	22. Just Be Quiet

Helios' pained scream was horrible and Keith was glad that the others are waiting outside. It felt like his brain is being stabbed by thousands of needles every second. He opened his mouth. Then, he realised what he was about to do and closed it again. He was going to ask Gus to lower the sensitivity of his nervous system. But he was not there. A small tear ran down Keith's cheek and he wiped it away quickly. He has to repair Helios and get out of here as soon as possible.

\---

After a few days, Gus got used to the prison life. He did not like it, not at all, but at least he always knew what is coming next. The pattern was simple: Wake up, be tortured, eat some trashy food, work and sleep. He was really glad he managed to save Elico. It was hard and very stressful, but it paid off. Both of his remaining Bakugan were temporarily safe and he was grateful for it, because they helped him to get through the interrogations. She- I mean, he would not be able to mentally endure it without hearing their whispers in his ears. It was horrible. Every single minute of it was forever engraved into his memory. He could never see what they are doing to him, and he did not want to. He thought he was better off not knowing. But it hurt. It was always the same. Constant pain in his entire body for what felt like infinity. And then, they started asking questions:

"Where is Spectra? What is he planning? When does he want to strike? What projects is he working on? Where did he obtain a dimension transporter? Is he working with or against the Brawlers?"

Gus never answered. He never screamed in pain either. At the moment the interrogation started, his vocal cords turned off and did not let out any sound until he was back in his room. While the pain lasted, he concentrated on the person they wanted him to: Spectra. He was going through the memories of him, and even though everything hurt, he could always feel this pleasant tickling in his stomach when he thought of his master's kisses.

He will never give up.  
He will never tell them anything.  
He will never betray his master.  
He will get out of here.  
He will come back home.  
He will be with his master.  
Forever.

\---

In the end, the repairs took longer than expected, but mostly because Keith had to dry the tears in his eyes all the time.

"Guys, I'm finished. Both Drago and Helios are safe." Keith's smile was proud, but tired. It took about two hours. 

"That's good to hear, but..." Runo started hesitantly.

"How long is the journey going to take? This ship is really slow." Julie joined. Keith hid his face behind his hands in embarrassment. 

"I'm so sorry. I forgot to launch the ship. We're still in the same place." He mumbled into his palms. He was still not completely used to doing everything himself. Losing Gus was really like losing his right hand. "Vestal Destroyer, destination: Brawlers' HQ." He commanded quietly. They felt the ship lift off.

"That's all it takes to get this ship moving?" Marucho asked. He seemed to be impressed.

"When I want to go to a location I already visited, I can do it per voice commands. New destinations have to be inputed into the main computer. The journey will take a couple of minutes." Keith noticed that there is something wrong with his sister. "Mira, are you okay?" He asked quietly, unnoticed by the others.

"I'm fine, it's just... This ship has been my nightmare for years, and now I'm inside of it. I feel uncomfortable." She replied. He placed his hand on her shoulder. 

"Just a few more minutes and we'll be at Marucho's. Besides, if you forget its dark past, this ship is pretty awesome." He gave her a small smile. 

\---

They moved to the main hall to take a seat. Keith sat on Spectra's chair, slowly scrolling in his past projects, drowning in memories. He was staring at Project Perfect Evolution, when Marucho suddenly jumped up. 

"Hey, Keith, can I take a look?" He asked. 

"Sure." Keith sent the holo-screen towards him with a swipe of his finger. 

"Where did you get that?" Marucho seemed to be surprised.

"It's some phantom data I received few days ago." At this point of their conversation, the others started to get interested, as if the words 'phantom data' were some sort of magic spell.

"And you already have it analysed?" 

"Yes?"

"It takes days for my computers to analyse it! There is so much!"

"You have it too? And what do you mean days? It's a matter of hours!"

"Yes I do, but what? Just how good are these computers of yours?"

"We have arrived to our destination. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing." Vestal Destroyer announced. 

"What?" Dan did not understand, because he was, just like the other Brawlers, sitting on the red carpet on the floor.

"See, Marucho, this is the disadvantage of having smart computers. They sometimes go crazy." Keith sighed.

"I have not gone crazy, master. I developed something called" The computer paused to find the right description for its new ability. "Sense of humour." It proudly announced. "I believe that what I just said is called sarcasm."

"Great, now even my ship is making fun of me." Keith was a bit scared of the AI's abilities. If it's able to evolve on its own, what consequences could it have?

"I am not making fun of you, master. I was programed to follow the Servant Codex perfectly. I was just..."

"No excuses. We will solve this later." Keith waved it off. "Prepare the transporter to take us down."

"Transport ready to commence on your command."

Keith waited for all the Brawlers to leave.

"By the way, your speaking abilities have really improved." He stopped to turn around before entering the transporter.

"Thank you. I have analysed the records of all the security cameras aboard."

"Good job. You're learning faster than I anticipated, it's almost scary. You know what to do while I'm gone, right?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Yes, master."

Keith entered the transporter.


	23. Just Remember

~Episode 97 - Fusion Confusion~

"So, Marucho, how about we compare the data we received?" Keith asked after safely landing on the Marukura Manor's heliport.

"Sure, follow me!" Marucho agreed.

"Guys, it's getting late and we didn't even have dinner. You can do that tomorrow." Mira reminded them.

"Yeah, where do you get all this energy from?" Runo yawned, confirming Mira's statement. Keith smiled at that. 

"I woke up a few hours ago. I guess it'll take me some time to adjust to your times, but I'll try." 

"And I'm so excited I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway." Marucho joined him.

"Let's at least have dinner first, I'm starving." Julie suggested.

"True, me too." Marucho gave in.

"Me too." Baron joined.

"Same here." Ace contributed his opinion.

"And today is tacos!" Dan said and everyone headed inside. Keith realised that this group works on a combination of Dan's yes-but-not-really leadership, strange indirect voting and silent agreements. It was nothing like he knew from Vestal. There was always an authority everyone trusted and obeyed. The leader here was Dan, but he basically just nodded to everything the others agreed on and sometimes threw in his own ideas, but did not expect everyone to agree. It was chaotic and unsophisticated, but also friendly and so un-war-like. Zenoheld's threat seemed small, almost non-existent.

The "taco" he got to eat was a strange combination of different things he would never think could taste good. He knew like half of the things on his plate. He hesitantly ate the familiar ones and left the other stuff with a "I'm not hungry." for Dan to finish. 

After the meal, the others went to sleep and Keith followed Marucho to his Operation room. Keith found out that even though Marucho is not really the type of person he could be friends with because of his rather childish personality, he was remarkably smart (at least for a human) and proved himself to be an acceptable assistant for him. He needed a lot of patience, though. First of all, he was not used to explain his every move. Marucho was a bit slow on the uptake, but made up for it with endless thirst for knowledge. And second of all, human computers were painfully slow. Problems that these needed minutes to process could Vestal Destroyer solve in the blink of an eye. The comparison of the two Phantom data needed the entire night and the next day. After Marucho left to sleep, Keith made a few small improvements to speed it up, then went to his bedroom to try to sleep. He wanted to adjust to Earth time as quickly as possible, because the darkness in the night was annoying.

\---

'Keith, please, let me out.'

'Why?'

'Please, just for the night.'

'Fine. But don't make any trouble.' 

Keith entered his room and closed the door. In that moment, he became Spectra again. He took of his shirt and went to the window. He watched the city slowly calm down as it dove into darkness. It was something one could see neither on Vestal, nor on New Vestroia, and it was calming in some way. He reached for something with his right hand, but it was not there. The source of his stability and calmness was missing. He felt their fingers between his own, as if they were burned into his skin forever. He will never be able to forget this. He clenched this hand into a fist, his knuckles turning white, as he tried to fight down a sudden wave of emotions. It did not work. His vision blurred. He turned around, falling face-first on the bed and hugging his pillow. He buried his face in it and pulled his knees close to his chest.

He could not hold anything back any longer. He had to admit the truth: He misses his boyfriend. A lot, actually. He needed him by his side. He does not need any power. He does not need a place to belong to. He does not need a home, family or friends. Just him. Without him, he did not have a reason to live. Why even bother to eat, sleep or work? 

He will never see his sea green eyes look at him with amazement, love, support, enthusiasm and curiosity. He will never see his lips form a kind smile or a sarcastic grin, he will never feel them against his own. He will never feel the warmth of his skin. He will never be able to braid his hair.

"Gus..." He squeezed his pillow even tighter when his entire body began to shake. He started sobbing. 

There was an empty hole in his heart no one could fill. His muscles had no strength to move, even his heart was beating lazily. His brain shut down. His body used everything that was left to create more tears.

Someone knocked on the door. He did not respond. The door opened. 

"Keith?" His sister saw his state and it confused her. "Are you okay?" Spectra weakly reached for his mask on the night table. It beeped as it attached itself to his face. He turned his head to face her.

"I'm fine." He finally answered. The voice changer chip in his mask made sure that his voice sounds as calm as always.

"Are you sure?"

"Just leave me alone." Spectra turned his back on her.

"Oh. Okay." Mira was certain now. Something was definitely wrong with her brother. She will try to ask him again tomorrow.

\---

Next morning was Keith spending with his sister on the rooftop rose garden, while the others were discussing something at the table. They were killing time before breakfast. There was a calm and relaxed atmosphere, but sometimes, Mira would get lost in her thoughts, as if she was concerned about something. Keith did not ask.

"Excuse me, everyone, may I have your attention, please? Could I ask you all to please assemble in the Operation room?" Kato asked through the speakers.

"Wicked, it's ready!" Marucho jumped off his chair.

"It's time." Keith had to make a great effort not to say 'It's about time.' in an annoyed voice. 

Keith watched the results of the comparison on the screen, not in the least surprised. 

"Both data strands are exactly the same." Marucho showed.

"No way. What are the odds that Keith would receive the same data as us?" Mira wondered.

"Who knows? But that must be the reason why the Bakugan I fought in Interspace had the same Battle Gear as Helios. If that data is how you built the Battle Gear, then does that mean that we could make some sick machinery for Nemus too?" Baron asked. 

"If anyone should get the next set of Battle Gear, it's Drago." Helios said.

"What? Why me?"

"It's true. With his current stage of evolution, we could analyse Drago's DNA code and splice it with the Phantom data. From that we could build a customised set of Battle Gear for Drago." Keith said and thought that he explained enough, but watching how the conversation continued, he realised that none of them understood what he meant to say. He picked carefully his next words so that everyone gets why he wants Drago to get a Battle Gear. 

"We need to consider the possibility that we're not the only ones with the Phantom data." He was quite disappointed with them, but especially his sister. They did not even think about this scenario! His sister was not as sharp as he thought. When this entire thing ends, he will make sure to send her to a university.

"Do you think... father?" She gasped. She finally caught up. At last. It took the others a few more minutes to understand the weight of the situation. The Battle Gear was a necessity. He knew that the creation will take some time, that is why he wanted to start as soon as possible. But no, they wanted breakfast first. How could they think about food?

\---

Keith was staring at his plate with despair. He poked with his fork into a pink stripe of something squishy yet crispy. Next to it, there was a hardened white puddle with a yellow ball in the middle. He looked around the table. The humans were eating it, but Keith had already gotten used to the fact that humans are able to eat literally everything. He looked at his fellow vestals. They were eating too, even though they hesitated at first. Everyone was chatting while eating, except for Dan, whose mouth was too full. Keith turned to him.

"How did you call this again?" He asked. Dan swallowed the content of his mouth.

"Eggs and bacon. Try it, it's really good!" Dan replied and filled his mouth with the white thing.

"Are you sure it's edible? What is it from?" Keith still thought it looked very suspicious. Dan answered something that sounded like "I dunno, ask Marucho." Marucho was currently in some passionate discussion with Ace, so Keith just settled to some bread.

"Keith, are you alright? You have barely eaten." Mira asked him.

"I'm fine, the food just looks kinda scary." He laughed.

"I see. And-" She wanted to ask something, but was interrupted.

"Keith, why aren't you eating?" Runo asked.

"I'm not sure it's edible." He said, continuing eating his bread.

"The other vestals are eating it too!" Julie agreed.

"I am not that trusting." He noticed that everyone gave him a hurt look. "I mean... I would like to analyse this first before I eat it. It may be normal for you humans, but it could have some unexpected effects on vestals." He explained. Mira put down her fork quickly, Baron choked on his food and Ace spit out the water he was drinking.

"What?!" The three of them gasped. Keith formed a 'disappointed dad' face. 

"Did you seriously think that you can just eat alien food without consequences?" He was really disappointed with his sister. Even though she is not an actual scientist yet, she did finish school and is from a scientist family. He turned towards her with last bit of hope. "Mira?"

"Um..." Mira looked at him guiltily. "I guess we didn't really... think..."

"Yeah, I can see that." The situation made the other Brawlers laugh.

"Keith The Responsible Parent!" Dan screamed between fits of laughter. Sure, they knew there was a big age gap between Keith and them, but they did not really notice until now. And Keith was laughing with them, because he knew that he was neither responsible nor a parent, he just wanted an excuse for not eating this gross-looking """"""food"""""".

After they calmed down and continued eating, Mira turned to her brother again.

"Keith, what was that yesterday? Did something happen?" Keith had no idea what is she talking about. 

"Yesterday?" Mira was shocked. Does he not remember?

"Never mind." She continued eating, now cautiously avoiding everything that she did not know from Vestal. Keith was wondering what was that about. Could it be...

'Spectra?'

'Yes?' A sad tired weak voice in his head replied. 

'Were you still awake yesterday while I was sleeping?'

'I think so.'

'What did you do to Mira?'

'Nothing. I just sent her away.'

'Why would you do that?' 

'She came in a really bad moment!'

'Wait. What were you doing?'

Spectra mumbled something in response, and even though they were sharing head and mind, Keith did not understand.

'Could you repeat that?'

'I was crying, okay?' Spectra's voice cracked. 'I miss him.' He added quietly.

'You and I both, Spectra, but we came here to forget.'

'How could I forget the love of my life? He is my everything, Keith, and do not try to tell me that you do not feel the same.' A wave of Spectra's sadness and despair surrounded Keith's heart and squeezed it tightly. He felt tears in his eyes.

"Earth to Keith!" He saw a small hand wave in front of his eyes. It belonged to Marucho. "We're going to continue with the Battle gear, you coming?"

"Yeah, sure." He agreed, sending Spectra back into a distant corner of his mind.


	24. Assembly line

~Episode 97 - Fusion Confusion, Episode 98 - Volt's Revolt and Episode 99 - Payback~

"Drago's evolution is so advanced, it's going to take some time to fully analyse his DNA. For now, we can create a hybrid prototype by splicing a portion of his DNA strand with Helios' Battle Gear. It won't be as precise as the final version, but it will give us a sense of the possibilities." Keith already got used to explaining everything he was doing.

"Try not to scratch my Battle Gear, okay?" Helios commented. 

"I'll do my best." Drago replied.

"Here we go." Keith just made the model visible on the screen. He had done it in advance, because it takes some time. Everyone gasped in surprise, but Keith thought that they were disappointed. He started to explain himself. "Well, this version is just a mock-up of course. Based off the system's initial analysis of Drago's DNA and its compatibility with Helios' Battle Gear."

"So depending on the results of the analysis, the final version could be quite different from this? I can't wait to see it! The suspense is killing me! This is worse than waiting to open your presents on Christmas morning!" Marucho was way too excited in Keith's opinion. He had no idea what he was talking about, but he understood that his prototype impressed them.

"Would it help if we put Drago in Bakugan Interspace and then scanned and collected his battle data results from there?" Mira asked and he was glad that his sister's brain did not get all too rusty when she was with the Brawlers. She will get the hang of it soon, hopefully.

"Huh? Good idea." Dan agreed, even though barely knew anything about it. 

"Why didn't I think of that?" Marucho asked. Keith did not want to answer that question.

\---

Initially, Keith wanted to be quiet, go with the flow and try to fit in and work with the team. But now, he has had just enough of their bickering.

'Spectra, I need you. Could you take over for a while? You know I can't brawl.'

'I can try.' Spectra replied and took over the body, inhaling deeply to maintain his composure.

"Listen up. I develop the Battle Gear, I'm the one who is going to fight. Except, I'll be fighting as Spectra!" When he put the mask on, he felt much better. It was safe. It hides everything. Cracking voice, tears. And in the heat of battle, he will not have time to think about... or will he?

\---

Of course he did. And maybe he let his frustration and anger control him. Just a little bit.

'Weren't you too cruel, Spectra?'

'I got the data you wanted, did I not? Is there anything else you want?'

'No, you can go back to your mourning.' Keith teased him.

'Leave me alone.' Spectra answered quietly, hiding himself in a distant corner of their mind. He wanted to be alone. Or, to be more precise, he wanted to be with Gus.

"Luckily, we managed to collect enough of his battle data. We can use it to develop a custom set of Battle Gear that won't damage his body." Keith announced.

"I'll put a rush on the analysis of Drago's DNA code." Marucho smiled. Keith took the mask off and looked at his sister.

"Mira, can you go help Marucho with that?" She agreed. 

\---

While waiting, Keith went back to his room.

'Keith?'

'Spectra?'

'I think we forgot about something.'

'About what?'

'I am still the administrator of GNS, and I guess I should take care of PNS, too. And we need to take care of it, otherwise there will be chaos on Vestal. Can I?'

'You're right, go ahead.'

Keith was so surprised that Spectra asked him for the body instead of taking it by force as usual, that he just stepped back and let him do his work.

Spectra was scrolling through GNS. There were no inappropriate posts reported, so was he just reading newest posts from various people. It was a good way for a king to find out the problems, opinions and ideas of the citizens. Zenoheld did nothing and left GNS to Spectra. He was trying his best to help people when he could, but his authority was still very limited.

He found out that most people do not want to elect a new king until they know that the previous one is dead. They thought that having two kings could cause more trouble than having no king. Spectra agreed.

'So? Are you going to mourn forever or are you going to defeat Zenoheld and become the king?'

'I maybe will be a sad king, but still better than Zenoheld.' Spectra answered with determination. 'And I have an idea.'

Even though Vestal Destroyer was miles away from him, it was faster to use its computers than Marucho's. He connected to them with his gauntlet and opened Project Perfect Evolution. He wanted to create a completely new Battle Gear for Helios, much more powerful than the Twin Destructor. He took the two barrels of his former Battle Gear prototype and connected them to create one deadly ray of energy, ten times more powerful than the Ragnarok Cannon Ability. He named the new prototype Zukanator.

"I don't know what you're doing, Spectra, but I like it." Helios appeared on his shoulder. Spectra was used to him doing this, but inside he felt how it scared Keith.

"I am creating a brand new Battle Gear for you." Spectra explained. Helios floated closer to look at the stats.

"Can you raise the power a little bit?" He asked.

"Sure." Spectra nodded and pushed the limiter a little higher.

"More." Helios demanded and Spectra continued, but stopped after a while.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Since when are you afraid of power, Spectra?" Helios answered with a question and Spectra realised that he was right. Has he gone soft with the Brawlers? No way. 

"You have a point." He lifted the limiter even further.

"That's more like it." Helios agreed.

'Spectra, that's too much. Helios won't be able to support a Battle Gear as powerful as this!' Keith warned him. Spectra reacted by removing the limiter completely.

"Helios, it will work like this: You can set the Battle Gear on any power level you want. But remember that it will take the necessary energy from you and once you fire, there is no turning back. If you will not have enough power for the level you set, it will use your life force. Are you willing to take that risk?" He asked, even though he knew his answer.

"I am."

Someone knocked. Spectra turned the gauntlet off and let Keith take over.

"Keith? The analysis of Drago's DNA is done." Mira looked inside.

"Coming." 

\---

"Okay, I'm gonna start uploading the data from Drago's last brawl against you." Marucho said.

"Fingers crossed that this is gonna work." Keith nodded, because this was the fifth time they tried it and the computer kept crashing. There was too much data. Marucho and Mira were doing their best to keep the computers alive while Keith was working.

"It'll work, trust me! Mira, what's the transfer rate cycling at?" Marucho asked.

"Is it stable? Huh? Mira?" Keith added.

"Huh? Oh, I zoned out there. Sorry, guys. Transfer cycling rate is steady and solid." Mira woke up.

\---

They succeeded eventually.

"What's going on with you?" Keith followed her after they left the operation room.

"Oh, Keith, you startled me."

"You seem distracted." He criticised her.

"I guess I've been thinking a lot about father." She explained. 

'Not this again. Explain it to her, Keith, please.' Spectra sighed.

'Oh, look who's awake. How was your sleep? Are you done mourning?' Keith replied sarcastically.

'Shut up and let me deal with our sister.'

'Wait, Spectra-' 

"As long as he remains loyal to Zenoheld, he's our enemy, Mira." Spectra said after forcefully taking control of the body.

"I-I guess, but I've been thinking that... well, I could convince father to come around like you did. That way, we could all be together as a family again. Is that really such a crazy thing to hope for, Keith?" She said. Spectra sighed again. He had a soft spot for this girl, no matter how hard he tried to deny it.

"I know of a way you can contact him." He gave her the last homing bee he had. The previous ones he sent after Gus did not return.

"Is that...?"

"I seriously doubt that you'll persuade him to change sides. But if it'll make you feel better, you should at least try." He told her honestly and left her alone.

\---

The celebration of the new Battle Gear was very nice to Keith. Especially the seemingly limitless amount of fruit juice he could drink. It made him feel like he was the king of Vestal for a few minutes, and it surely did feel nice. Well, it would, if it was not for Spectra. 

'Keith. Hey, Keith. Keith. Keiith. Keeeeiiiith. Keith!'

Hearing his name constantly repeat in his head was pretty annoying. 

\---

After dinner, Keith retreated to his room, collapsing on his bed.

'What. Do. You. Want." He deadpanned at Spectra.

'Let me work.' He's demanded.

'You could have just said it normally.' Keith sighed, letting Spectra use his body. Spectra fished the gauntlet out of his jacket and connected it with the Vestal Destroyer's computer. He still had to do all the work of a PNS administrator, and to be honest, he definitely was not looking forward to that. There was almost hundred articles waiting to be checked and published. Spectra sighed and opened the first one. It was about a presentation of the plans for the next year by the Department of Ecology that took place a few days ago. But how could Spectra possibly check the correctness of the information, when he did not attend the event? He had a similar problem with the other articles, too. Either he was not there, or he had no idea about the topic. How was Gus doing all of this? He decided to let it go and leave the articles to Gus when he returns.

Someone quickly knocked and opened the door, not waiting for Keith's response. Spectra quickly retreated and left it to Keith to deal with the incoming situation. Baron looked inside.

"We got a call from Alice, you should see it." He announced in a rush. Keith nodded, stood up and followed him. 

When Keith saw the data on the huge screen, he immediately recognised vestal technology. 

"Keith, can you tell us what it means? Marucho asked. Keith nodded and looked at it thoroughly. He realised that he does not even need his mask to analyse this. It was a very rough sketch, a draft.

"This is the rough data and blueprints for professor Clay's 'Alternative'." He said, suppressing his emotions as he realised what the abilities of this thing are. It was his father's work without a doubt, no one else would be able to create something like this.

" 'Alternative'? What's that, Keith?" Dan asked. Keith inhaled deeply before answering.

"It's a lethal weapon that can destroy entire galaxies and the lives within. How did you get this?" He turned towards Alice.

"Lync left it behind for me to find." She answered, visibly sad.

"Lync?" It was very unlike him to care about someone.

"Yes. But I don't think he's..." Her voice betrayed her.

"I see." Keith nodded. He was able to add two and two easily. Lync met Alice when they were on Earth and, being as kind as she seems, she took care of him. He probably wanted to pay her back and give her the data. Knowing Zenoheld, Keith knew that this action was fatal for Lync. 

"The data suggests that it's unfinished, but they're definitely well on their way." Marucho interrupted his train of thought.

"So then..." "...we're still safe!" Runo and Julie cheered.

"Not for long. It looks like, in order to finish the Alternative, they need the DNA code and Battle Gear data that we have in our possession." Keith was not happy to disappoint them, but it was necessary.

"That means the Vexos will be coming for them probably soon. Is that right?" Dan asked. He seemed to be really happy that he deducted something like this.

"That is correct." Keith nodded. "Losing is absolutely not an option, Dan." He warned them to stop the team's motivational speech. 

"Trust me, Keith. It never has been." Dan grinned. 

'They will send Mylene and Shadow.' Spectra stated. Keith agreed. He also realised that when Lync left the Vexos, then Volt must be already gone as well. He told the Brawlers.

"No matter who they send, it'll be a piece of cake to beat them with the Battle Gear!" Nothing could apparently stop Dan.


	25. Redemption

\- Revision: What have we already found out about Vestal society?  
\--Love  
\--Time  
\--Who rules where  
\--Weather  
\--Age  
\--Food  
\--School and work  
\--Internet  
\--Hairstyles and eye colours  
\--Hygiene

\- What will we learn today? PNS administrator.  
\--The administrator of PNS is a very mysterious person, something like an urban legend. No one knows who he is and whether he is a real person or an AI. He is commonly nicknamed 'A'. People of Vestal contact him when they have questions that PNS cannot answer, because A can. Gus is well suited for this position and loves to help people this way.

~Episode 100 - Mylene's Meltdown~

'I told you to go for Mylene, but nooo, you were smarter than that. You wanted to leave Mylene, an armed professional hand-to-hand combatant in armor to the amateur kids. Seriously, Keith, you have no idea about strategy.'

"Now, for the last time: Hand over the Battle Gear data and the DNA code." Mylene demanded.

The Brawlers were protesting. Keith was scared.

'Spectra, do you have any idea how to get out of this situation, please?" Keith saved all of his sarcastic remarks for later, begging Spectra to save them.

'I have a plan. Allow me.' He took the body and his expression turned unreadable.

"You win. Don't hurt her, I'll give you the data." He slowly lead them to the entrance to Bakugan Interspace, hoping that Marucho will get the message.

"When did you become so weak, Spectra? In the old days, you wouldn't have batted an eye on a hostage, sister or not." Mylene asked with that typical patronising attitude of hers.

"His name is Keith now. My brother isn't the same person you used to know." Mira defended him. Little did she know what was going on in her brother's head.

"We used to be like-minded, Spectra. We had the same desire for power. What happened?" She asked. Spectra decided to enlighten her.

"I guess I came to a realisation."

"What?"

"I recognise that I was being vain and foolish, just as you are now." He stated calmly. Even when Mylene pointed her blade at him, he did not react. "Patience, kids, we're almost there." He sighed, a bit annoyed with the fact that Marucho still did not fully realise what he was doing.

They reached the end of the elevator and when Shadow pushed Spectra off, Helios' patience ran out.

"We can take this clown!"

"Be patient, Helios, just calm down." He shushed him and turned to Marucho. "This isn't a battlefield, you know?" He added so much emphasis on the word 'battlefield' that Marucho's eyes finally lit up with understanding.

\---

The battle was intense, and what followed even worse. It was crushing for Spectra to see his former teammates dissappear in a mysterious vortex. Even though they were not really best friends, they were colleagues and worked together for years. And when a 'What if this is what happened to Gus?' thought crossed his mind, he quickly hid his face behind his hands to dry the tears before anyone notices.

"I'm sorry, guys." Marucho bowed his head in shame for not being able to save Mylene and Shadow. The silence was way too heavy and no one dared to break it. Except for Julie.

"Let's change the topic." She proposed.

"Yeah. Keith, your acting was amazing! How did you stay so calm?" Dan asked immediately.

"It was not that hard, really. I knew Mylene would not hurt her." He answered with a light smile.

"But she sounded so serious..." Dan did not understand.

"We Vexos are not as bad as you guys think we are." Spectra chuckled. He noticed that the Brawlers see the Vexos as a group of heartless slave drivers, but that was definitely not the case.

"And what are they doing, then?" Marucho asked. 

"It seems that we are just a bunch of good Bakugan brawlers, but that's just a minor part of what we do. We are Vestal's government. Only when the people are in danger, we fight to protect them." He started explaining.

"And what do you do except for battling, then?" Ace asked, clearly confused. It was not a very common knowledge that the Vexos did something other than battles.

"Well, we have our duties. For example, me and Gus were in charge of Gamma City and protecting Hydron."

"Keith, can I have a more personal question? Why did you join the Vexos in the first place?" Runo asked. Mira also seemed to be curious about it. Spectra inhaled.

"For merit and the privileges. You see, I think Zenoheld is a bad king. He does nothing for the people and only enjoys the benefits of being a king, leaving the actual work to his subordinates. That is why I want to stop him. But I need people to support me to accomplish that. So I started a new life."

"Wait. Are you saying that you were doing the right thing from the start and we were trying to stop you, which makes us the bad guys?" Baron realised. Spectra laughed.

"No. My goal is nice, but my methods were wrong. You guys showed me that I cannot achieve it through force alone. I knew that, but I somehow... blinded myself with my own arrogance, I guess."

"So you joined the Vexos to become the king of Vestal?" Ace asked, sounding slightly impressed.

"Yes."

"And what about the others?" Shun added his question.

"Volt is from a very poor family. He was in it for the people, and he definitely took a good care for Alpha City. He is very righteous, that is why he did anything the royal family wanted, so that he can still work as the governor of the city. 

Lync is a selfish person, no doubt, but he was still new when this whole mess started. He got swept along. He wanted to be in the Vexos mostly to gain access to the newest technology. He is from a family of scientists, but they were never as famous as us. I guess he wanted to surpass me.

Mylene and Shadow are a mystery. No one knows where they came from, or why are they following Zenoheld. Mylene always wanted to lead the Vexos, she seemed to think that she is the one meant for it but I stole it from her. However, she stays quiet and follows Zenoheld, the same way Shadow always follows her."

"So you're saying that they're all actually good people?" Marucho made sure he heard right.

"Mostly, yes. We do have some traits you guys might call 'evil', but those come naturally with power."

"What do you mean?" Julie did not understand.

"Do you guys think I am evil?" Spectra asked and was very happy to see everyone shake their heads. "Yet, I could hear your horrified gasps when I battle. My techniques are ruthless and cold-hearted, I know that. Do you understand what I mean? When you have power and use it, it scares others." Everyone seemed to understand. Spectra was content that he managed to defend the Vexos. He felt that even though he was their ally, everyone saw him as a former villain, but that was not the case, and he wanted them to know that.

"Why do you talk about them in present tense? I mean, they're... you know. And you also speak as if you were still a Vexos." Runo asked.

"Well, technically I still am. You know, the king's main duty is to be the administrator of GNS, which is... our equivalent of your Internet, I guess. And remember how I said that Zenoheld leaves all of his work to his subordinates?"

"You're administrating GNS? That makes you the king already, doesn't it?" Ace asked.

"Technically, yes. But Zenoheld is still king in name and holds the power. The king is supposed to read on GNS what do people think needs improvement and make sure their wishes become reality. I am reading everything, I know what people want, but when I told Zenoheld, he always ignored me. I have a list of those things and I am going to do each and every one of when I become a real king. But to do that, I need Zenoheld to be gone for good and people to elect me."

"How long is that list?" Baron asked curiously.

"I think there is about two hundred projects I already made all the planning for, and less than one hundred others to finish." Spectra could see that everyone was impressed, especially the vestals.

"Do you know who A is?" Mira asked.

"A?"Julie asked.

"A is the smartest person on Vestal who knows answer to every question. No one knows who it is!" Mira answered. She seemed to be a fan. Well, a lot of vestals were, especially girls. Spectra had always a lot of fun reading posts on GNS with theories of who A is and how does he or she look. "So, Keith, do you know? Who is it? Do I know them?"

"I know who it is," Spectra chuckled with a hint of sadness in his eyes, "but it is not my secret to tell." Mira seemed to be disappointed.

"Can we please go back to our previous topic? You still did not explain why were you talking about the Vexos in present tense. They are gone." Runo reminded them.

"I do not think so." Spectra shook his head. "I believe that the portal took them somewhere, but they live. And I will find them." The Brawlers seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with this answer.

"Keith, I have one more question. You told us about all of the Vexos except for one. What about Gus?" Dan asked. Spectra felt something inside of him twist and tears started to gather in his eyes. He succeeded in holding them back for now, but he found it close to impossible to maintain his composure. The Brawlers noticed the shift in his mood and realised that they asked something they should not have.

"I am not not strong enough to talk about that yet. It is... just..." He suddenly could not find his voice. He replied while staring at the floor beneath his feet. Mira hugged him.

"Do you miss him so much?" She asked and Spectra nodded.

"It feels as if I lost my hand. Though, I would rather lose my actual hand than him." Spectra knew that there was much more than that. He would give both of his hands, or even his life to save Gus.

"We're sorry, Keith." Dan said and everyone nodded.

"How about we have something to eat and go to sleep? We had a rough day." Mira proposed. Everyone agreed, except for Spectra. 

"I am not hungry." He mumbled, pulled himself out of Mira's arms and went to his room. 

\---

Eventually, Keith did go to dinner. However, even though he was late, when he arrived to the room, the guys were still sitting there, waiting.

"Hey, Keith. Feeling better?" Dan asked and Keith nodded. "Girls said that they want to do something special for dinner, but it's taking too long and we're huuuungry." Dan whined.


	26. To an Unknown Future

~Episode 101 - An Heir to Spare and Episode 102 - Ultimate Weapon~

Gus finished eating the pile of trash on his plate that was distantly resembling food. It did not go really fast, not only it was disgusting, but they did something to his ribs in the interrogation today and every inhale hurt.

"725, you done? You've got work to do. We're moving you to a new workplace today. Take it as if you've been promoted." The guard told him. Some guards were quiet, and some of them were really talkative. Gus learned that he always has to say something in response. 

"Wow. To what do I owe the honour?" He asked, clearly sarcastic.

"Someone from the inner circle of highest scientist apparently thinks you're too smart to do basic work and good enough to join them." Guard answered.

"I am so excited about having a new job. The old one was getting boring, I hope my brain did not get rusty." He continued the conversation with a monotone voice and put his plate away.

"I'll never understand you smart guys." The guard shook his head and led Gus to his new workplace. 

Gus hated to admit it, but the place was amazing. It was a room filled with a huge computer in its center, only leaving thin aisles around it for the scientists to walk and reach the keyboards. The guard led him into the back.

"You're the new one, right?" Asked female voice asked behind him. He turned around and saw a relatively short woman in her 110s. Her hair was orange and her kind grayish blue eyes reminded him of somebody, but he did not know who.

"Yes, madam." He replied automatically.

"My name is Miriam." She smiled and gave him her hand. He shook it.

"Gus." Something about her made him smile too.

"I was the one who invited you here, because I need help to solve this problem and the others are busy." She explained, eyes locked on the guard. When he walked away, she continued, but more quietly. "To be honest, I just wanted someone to talk to. I used to have a friend here, but she did not endure all this madness. She lost her sanity and I will lose mine if I do not have an equally intelligent person to chat with. Maybe you heard about her, she is pretty famous in this prison. I mean, you are new, but still. Her name was Rebellious Sally?" Mrs. Miriam was very talkative, Gus found out. But it was not a bad thing. He was usually quiet, but when he got going, he was also able to speak for hours. It appeared that they have a lot in common.

"I know her too well. She is my cellmate." Gus nodded. "Why are you even here? You do not seem to be a bad person."

"Neither do you, but here we are." She smiled.

"Me and my master betrayed the king and worked against him." Gus saddened a bit at the mention of his master.

"That is a heavy crime alright. I refused to be the king's toy." Her smile also faded at this memory.

"Toy?" Gus did not understand what she means.

"King Zenoheld always takes women he wants to sleep with him. Sally was one of them too. She used to be a servant in this Palace. After Zenoheld was done with her, he threw her here so that she does not tell anyone. She even gave birth to her and king's child down here. I was helping her. It was a girl. The guards took her away, and Sally did not even get a chance to name her. King asked for me before he took Sally, but I refused. I had a husband, a son and a baby daughter. So they locked me here too. Both me and Sally can only hope our families are safe." Gus was shocked. And disappointed with himself. He knew everything about the Palace, yet he did not notice women disappearing? He thought he was better than that.

"I am really sorry. But how long have you been here? When will you be released?" He asked.

"Released? I thought I made that obvious. Never. There is no way to leave this place. Once you get here, you are as good as dead. I have been here for almost fifty years and I never saw anyone be released." She shook her head.

"Then I guess I will just have to be the first one. My master is still out there fighting against Zenoheld and I cannot just sit here and let him do all the work. I need to get out of here and help him." Gus knew that a goal like this is very close to impossible to achieve, but it was something that kept him going.

"Your devotion to your master and the Servant Codex is admirable." She smiled. "I may be able to help you a little. What is the first thing you do to create a plan?"

"Collect as much information as possible." Gus answered without hesitation.

"Exactly. These computers have access to the Palace's central computer. You can find the information you need there." 

"Or..." Gus checked that no one is watching and pulled out his gauntlet. In its card storage were not only Bakugan cards. He also had a small empty memory card hidden there. He inserted it into the computer. "I can just copy it all. I do not have to use it only to escape, I can also give it to my master and use it in the future!" 

"I like the way you think!" Mrs. Miriam smiled excitedly and controlled if there's anyone watching.

"There is a password." Gus stopped, disappointed.

"Just type in: long-live-the-KING001." She whispered. Gus did what she said and the data started slowly copying on his memory card. 

"Yes! Thank you, Mrs. Miriam." He whispered back. "I promise I will make sure not to be the only one who makes it out of this place."

"I think my son would really like you." She said matter of factly, as if the thought just randomly appeared in her head.

"I am sorry, but my heart belongs to my master." Gus smiled, showing that he does not mean it in a bad way in the slightest.

"That is exactly the reason." She smiled and placed her hand on the top of his head, patting it. "You are a good girl, Gus." Gus realised that he already got used to the female pronouns. He did not even mind. It somehow felt... right.

In the evening, he was lying in his bed thinking about it. If he was a girl... everything would be so much easier. There would be one obstacle less between him and master Spectra. They could even go public with their relationship. They could -this was almost unimaginable, but- they could get married. Gus stopped at this thought. He pictured himself in a traditional style wedding dress. It looked... pretty good, actually. He came to the conclusion that he would not really mind being a girl. He would look almost the same. His body was thin and fragile, his face soft and without any sharp edges. Now that he thought about it, he understood why people often mistook him for a girl. Was there something he would miss about being male? No, nothing comes into mind. Gus knew that there was no way to turn him female, but it was a nice thing to dream about. But what if he did turn female? How would he explain it to everyone? Of course, he would tell master Spectra the truth, but he would need a story for the people...

\---

"And that's it. Thank you for helping me out, Gus." Mrs. Miriam hit the 'Enter' key and finished with that their work for the day. "It's really good to have a nice girl like you around." She smiled gratefully.

"Well, actually, I think you are mistaken, Mrs. Miriam. I am a man." Gus admitted. She did not seem to be surprised in the slightest.

"I know you are. I was just curious how long will it take for you to tell me." She seemed to think about something. Then, she reached into her pocket and put something into Gus' hand. He looked at it. It was a memory card.

"What is this?" He asked.

"It's a research project I've been working on my entire life. I think it will be interesting for you." She said. Gus did not know what to answer.

"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it."

Later that evening, Gus started reading the project. He could not believe his eyes...

\---

Someone was being thrown into the cell on the opposite side of the hallway from Gus'. Most of the prisoners were still asleep, so barely anyone noticed, but Gus woke up a few minutes ago with a weird feeling. 

"You blew it! You fool! You lost everything!" He heard a familiar voice. "Go away! Leave me alone! Get lost! This isn't over, do you understand me? I will destroy Zenoheld." It was Hydron, no doubt. Gus began to form an escape plan. If they forgot to take away his gauntlet, it could be way too easy. And the fact that even Zenoheld's son is down here means that the situation must be on the edge up there. He needs to get out of here now.

'Ok, Gus, you can do it. Get into your opponent's head and twist it in your favour. One last time.'

"I must be going crazy! Gus? Could that be you out there?" Hydron gasped. Gus could hear the remains of trust he felt towards him a long time ago in his voice.

"What's the matter? Afraid you're hearing voices?" He came closer to the door so that they can see each other. "Your father defeated me, but I'm alive."

"Well now, that was pretty dumb. Your big mouth got you tossed in here for good." Gus ignored this pathetic attempt at an insult.

"What if I told you I think you're the only one who can defeat your father and that I can give you another shot at it." He smiled when a spark of hope flashed through Hydron's eyes. He was interested. Good.

"But how?"

"Come on, Hydron, don't you want another shot at the old man after he humiliated you? Or do you prefer your jail cell?"

"Just be quiet. I'm not ashamed of anything. Do you understand that?" He said, raising his voice. Gus felt the pain in his ribs gradually getting worse. Hold on. Just a little more.

"It's okay. I understand. You're like a dog who's been beaten by his master all his life. Afraid of his own shadow. I feel so sorry for you."

"What did you say to me?" He was shocked.

"If you stay here, you'll never have to show your face again. I used to despise you, Hydron, but now I see that instead of anger, I should've had pity for you." Suddenly he felt the Palace shake. It was a battle. It was master Spectra, he could feel it. He had to get to him, and fast. "It's okay, Hydron, I am here with you. I know that you're scared, all alone in your cell, but just try not to cry, be brave." See, Hydron, this is how you insult someone.

"Listen, you clown, you'll be the one who's crying in a minute!" He got him now.

"So you're gonna make me?"

"You bet I am!"

"Gauntlet power strike!"

"Gate Card, set!" Hydron shouted, brows furrowed in concentration. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Go, Subterra Dryoid!"

"Let's go, Vulcan! Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand! Rise, Subterra Rex Vulcan!" Gus played along, but just for a while. Right after Vulcan grew into his full size and destroyed the cell door, Gus climbed on his shoulder. "See, I told you I could get us out of there, Hydron."

"So you... tricked me into fighting?"

"Well, I didn't think asking politely is going to work." He laughed as Vulcan lifted off. Gus noticed that the ceiling of the prison consisted of several layers of different metals. No wonder he did not have signal down there. His ribs ached as the air pressure around him lowered.


	27. Reunion

\- Revision: What have we already found out about Vestal society?  
\--Love  
\--Time  
\--Who rules where  
\--Weather  
\--Age  
\--Food  
\--School and work  
\--Internet  
\--Hairstyles and eye colours  
\--Hygiene  
\--A

\- What will we learn today? Survival.  
\--In the following episodes, everyone is flying through space on their Bakugans' shoulders and no one seems to be bothered by the fact that there is no air. I will try to explain that. 

Bakugan is a species that can survive without oxygen for a limited time, as they are able to create a small atmosphere of their own. That is why the Brawlers can survive this.

Vestals are a bit different than humans. Their bodies are able to survive even without breathing, food, and water. After ca. three days, their body enters a comatose state and they can survive for another seven days like this (the numbers vary from person to person, though). It is as unpleasant as it is for humans (if you know how it feels when you cannot breathe, you know what I am talking about), but they do not die. Their injuries also heal faster.

~Episode 102 - Ultimate Weapon and Episode 103 - All For One~

"Alright! Cake time!" Mira and Julie shouted while Runo finally brought a cart with some mysterious food. Whatever this "cake" was, it was round, white, and there were Bakugan on it. The guys seemed to be as surprised as he was. Drago started to explain:

"Why so glum, guys? We wanted to throw a party for Keith and Helios to say:"

"Welcome to the family, you guys!" The girls said. Everyone understood and looked at him. 

'What on earth is going on??'

'No idea. Just smile and pretend to understand.'

Keith took Spectra's advice.

"Humans can be so silly." Helios expressed his thoughts out loud and both Keith and Spectra could not agree more. Runo and Julie immediately accused him of being a "party-pooper", whatever that means, and flustered Helios hid in his pocket.

"We wanted to do this earlier, but... well, you know how crazy things were." Mira explained.

'Keith?'

"Thanks for doing this, Mira." Keith replied absent-mindedly, because Spectra sounded urgent.

'What is it, Spectra?'

'Take a look at the Alternative data.' Keith turned around. 'If my calculations are correct, the plans for the final version should be completed by now.' Keith double-checked.

'You're right. Should we tell the others?'

'They would not underst-'

"Is there something wrong, Keith?" Mira asked.

"Sorry, I... guess I zoned out."

"Don't give me that, big brother. I know you, remember?"

'No, you don't.'

"I'm telling you, Mira, it's nothing, got it?"

"Baloney!"

"Let's go, c'mon!" Dan interrupted them.

"Go where, Dan? But it's almost midnight!" Marucho asked. 

"Maybe it's the sugar from the cake talking, but just think: instead of waiting around for king Zenoheld to finish the Alternative, let's storm the Palace!" Dan said. 

'That... is not a bad idea.'

"At first light." Shun added.

'That is a bad idea.'

Suddenly, a slice of cake appeared in front of his face.

"C'mon, Keith, eat up! We've got a big day tomorrow, but for now, we celebrate." Dan said.

'We do not have time for this, Keith! The Alternative is being built as we speak!'

'I know, but we can't have the Brawlers come along. This is our problem to settle.'

"Thanks. I have forgotten how... how unbelievably good it feels to fight as part of a team." Keith smiled. 'I hate lying to them. Was it okay or did I overdo it, Spectra?'

'You were averagely convincing. See? Even Mira believed you.'

\---

He was standing in front of the window again. He knew that this is his last night on Earth.

'Keith, we need to act now. Just like the two of us, when our father is close to finishing, he forgets to sleep.'

'I know.'

"Can't sleep? Thinking about tomorrow?" Helios asked.

"Actually, I was thinking of my father if you must know." Spectra answered. "He must be... stopped."

"And he will be when you all hit the Palace tomorrow." Spectra reached for his mask and put it on.

"Tomorrow is not soon enough, Helios."

"So we're going ahead?" Helios asked with hope in his voice.

"That is correct. Zenoheld will not know what hit him." Spectra activated the transporter and teleported into the main hall. "Vestal Destroyer, destination: Vestal Palace!" Then, he activated front blades. "Okay, time to blow your little house down."

"Spectra? What are you..." Helios gasped.

"Vestal Destroyer, full speed ahead!" Spectra commended and the engines thrusted the ship forward. When it crashed into the Palace, Helios smiled proudly.

"Your ideas never cease to impress me, Spectra."

\---

Spectra stepped on the Palace's floor, looking towards Zenoheld.

"Hi there."

"Tell me why I shouldn't finish you on the spot, Spectra."

"Don't you want to know why I'm here?"

"All I care about is crushing you, you annoying cockroach!"

Spectra was kind of glad he could get straight to the point.

"Bring it on, old man! Let's go!"

"I'll take care of you, just like I did your lapdog!"

'You wish. Show him your power, Spectra!'

"Gauntlet power strike!"

\---

The battle was very even. Spectra could match Zenoheld easily, and when he could not attack him, he could at least insult him. He may have gotten a bit carried away, though.

He was not even surprised to use the ultimate system so early in the battle. What did surprise him, however, was the fact that Helios was suddenly going down and he was powerless to stop it.

"Ability activate: Hammer knuckle!" The claws that threatened Helios were gone as quickly as they appeared and as Helios landed safely on a small asteroid, Spectra's chest filled with a warm swirl of emotions because there was only one person who could pull off an attack like this.

"Gus! You're-" He was there. Smiling the same way he always used to, as if he never disappeared.

"Yes, sir, I'm alive." He confirmed. He was not sure for how long, though, but the happiness he felt muted the pain to almost nothing.

"Well, what took you..." Spectra's voice betrayed him. "...so long, then?"

"Sorry, sir, but I was detained." Gus used the lightest word he could, but he could still see the fear that flashed across Spectra's face. 

When Zenoheld attacked, both of them immediately clicked into their usual tandem battle style. Gus shielded, Spectra counterattacked and Gus joined him. Zenoheld endured it and his new attack knocked them both down, vaporizing the ultimate Bakugan set in the process.

"It's time for you to say goodbye." They both stood up.

"I don't think so. Master Spectra and I will have our vengeance!" Gus answered. Spectra was so glad to be called 'master' again. Honestly, he was sick and tired of 'hey, Keith'.

"I've got this, Gus." Spectra said, activating his most powerful ability. Gus immediately followed. Spectra almost forgot how good it feels to have someone who can keep up with you, who can understand you.

A big blast appeared and Helios and Vulcan barely dodged it. They watched the asteroid be torn to pieces.

"What could cause such... destruction?" Gus asked, but it was merely a rhetorical question. He knew about the Alternative from the data he stole in the Palace, but he thought it is just a draft. He did not realize it was this close to completion. 

They watched a monstrous weapon emerge from the Palace.

"Is that what I think it is?" Helios asked. 

"Yes, it's the Alternative!" Spectra confirmed.

"I can't believe the Alternative is real now!"

"Quick, let's go, Gus!"

"Yes, right behind you!"

They headed towards it, but it started to fire from like two hundred cannons. They were unable to dodge that much.

"Master Spectra, we need to fall back!" They hid behind that destroyed asteroid and Spectra summoned the Twin Destructor. Gus expected that Spectra already finished it, however, he did not expect it to be strong enough to actually match the Alternative. 

Their efforts seemed to be futile.

"Gus, our weapons are useless from this distance. We have to get closer!"

"Let's do it!" Gus focused on protecting Spectra. He was hurt and Vulcan was slowly getting tired too. They still got captured, and, much to his surprise, were rescued by Dan Kuso.

"Sorry we're late!" He smiled at Spectra. 

"Better late than never!" Spectra smiled back. Nothing could possibly confuse him more. He definitely did not expect THAT to happen. 

"Master Spectra, what's he..."

"I'll explain later! Just know that we're now fighting on the same side." Spectra sighed.

"I never thought I'd see the day. But if we have a common enemy, then..." Gus realised that he is overthinking it too much when Spectra interrupted him.

"One more time, Helios!"

They fought the best they could. When they got surrounded by some weird Alternative drones, Gus lost Spectra in the crowd. When he defeated one, three others appeared. The situation was getting more hopeless with every ability he activated. Vulcan's left arm refused to move and Gus' lungs were barely able to catch some oxygen. It was... suffocating. 

Then, the Brawlers gathered on one spot. He discovered that master Spectra is probably inside the Alternative, and that... Dan has a Battle Gear? How long was he in that prison? When Dan opened a hole, a new horde of drones attacked them. Vulcan went against them. 

"Go, get out of here." Gus realised that in his current state, he will be no use to master Spectra in there. He will stay here and leave him to his new allies. If master Spectra can trust them, Gus can too.

"Gus, did everyone make it inside?" Vulcan asked.

"Yes. You cleared the way for them." Gus smiled proudly.

"That's good. 'Cause I don't think I have much left in me." Vulcan sighed. Gus felt the same. He stopped breathing completely few drones ago, and the constant explosions messed up his hair so badly, that he was not sure he will ever be able to make them look good again. That was currently his biggest issue. Also, his eyes were full of tears from the wind and he could hardly see anything. 

"We'll at least go down fighting." Vulcan took another three shots. He wanted to counterattack, but there were too many.

"Ability activate: Excel Speed!" Suddenly, all the drones around them exploded. When the reason behind it appeared, Gus recognised him immediately.

"What the- Dryoid?"

"That was payback for springing me from jail." Hydron explained.

"I guess... we're even." Gus could think of the Brawlers as his allies. But he could never think so of Hydron. "And here I thought you were running back to your father, King Zenoheld."

When Gus cleared the outside, he retreated into the hole Dan made earlier. There, he found Marucho and his two resting Bakugan.

"Is everything okay out there?" Marucho asked.

"Everything is clear for now. Let us just hope that the others succeed." Gus replied. He was polite, but he was not friendly right from the beginning. There was a minute of silence, but Marucho apparently was not a quiet person.

"So, where have you been this whole time?" Marucho asked. Gus wanted to sigh, but there wasn't enough air in his lungs to do that. Speaking was also a problem, but he did not want to be seen as weak.

"Zenoheld imprisoned me in the Palace." He answered simply.

"Why?" Gus looked at him in disbelief. Was Marucho joking? No, he seemed to be genuinely interested. Gus thought that it was obvious. 

"He wanted information about master Spectra." Gus answered, and, because he did not want to speak anymore, asked a question: "How did master Spectra join forces with you?" He was ashamed of asking this, because asking someone else about your master is strictly prohibited by the Servant Codex and also considered very rude, but he needed Marucho to talk and allow him to be quiet.

"Well, he did not want to at first. He helped us destroy the BT System, but he was still cold and after it was gone, he left. But then he came back and challenged Dan to a final battle." Gus smiled at this, because it was so like Spectra to do something like this. "Dan won and Keith joined us." It took Gus a few seconds to realise that the Brawlers call him by his real name. It confused him. Spectra was never really a person that would go back and give up on his goal and everything he achieved before just to go back to his old normal life. Or was he? Maybe Gus just does not know his master good enough. Maybe Mira knows him better. No, that does not make sense. Master Spectra dedicated his life to his goal and the people of Vestal just as much as Gus dedicated his life to him. Maybe it is just a compromise to make his sister feel better. But what if he actually decided to leave his Spectra past behind? Is Gus useless to him now? No, Gus is better than this. He will not doubt his master. He will follow him without hesitation, no matter where he decides to go. "...we built Drago's Battle Gear, JetKor, together. And then, we ended up here." Marucho pulled Gus out of his thoughts by finishing.

"I see." Gus nodded, even though he did not listen to the story at all. Suddenly, they heard several explosions. "Did those explosions mean that the others succeeded?" He asked. 

"I think so, what else could it be?" Marucho agreed

"We should get out of here, then. We're in danger." Vulcan said.

"You're right, let's go!" Preyas agreed. Vulcan took them in his arms and lifted off, escaping into space. 

"Where did Hydron go?" Gus wondered to himself. Then, he saw him. He was holding Zenoheld, sealing the fate of them both along with the Alternative. Gus watched the Brawlers escape, and eventually even master Spectra and Mira appeared seconds before the Alternative exploded. He activated his gauntlet, realising that he has got signal now, and transported all of them into the Vestal Destroyer hangar.

\---

The Brawlers were patting each other's back and making sure that everyone is fine, but neither Spectra nor Gus cared about that. Standing a bit aside from the others, they wrapped each other into a tight hug. At that moment, Gus did not feel any pain at all. Spectra dropped his mask and it fell on the floor. 

"I missed you." He whispered.

"I missed you too." Gus answered on the verge of tears.

"Gus, I-" Spectra was not far from crying either. "I thought I would never see you again. Even now, it feels like it is just a dream." Spectra was really holding Gus with all of his strength, as if he was afraid he could disappear. Gus pulled away from him a little, just to put their foreheads together and make their noses brush. 

"Well then, allow me to show you that this is very real." He whispered against Spectra's lips before kissing them. Their eyes fell closed and their bodies moved closer into each other reflexively. They fitted together perfectly, two parts of one single person. Everything around them was irrelevant. It was just the two of them. 

Gus was happy just because he knew Spectra was too. He could not stand the fact that he made him upset by leaving him. This kiss was a plea. He was begging for forgiveness. He regretted his actions deeply and wanted to show Spectra that he will never leave him ever again. The two of them belong together.

Spectra was really glad to see Gus is alive and with him. Now, he can go ahead, head straight towards his goal, knowing that Gus will be always there to support and protect him. He had everything he ever needed. Nothing was missing. He was whole again.

When they parted, they were both smiling. The happiness filling their hearts was irresistible, they could not stop. Everything negative from the entire universe disappeared. From now on, everything will be perfect.

At least they thought so, until they realised what is going on around them.

"Hey, Keith!" Dan shouted and Spectra sighed. Again with the 'hey'. It took him a while to find the strength to let go of Gus and turn away. 

"Yeah?" He answered. Meanwhile, Gus picked up the mask from the ground. 

"Can we use that healing bath of yours?" Marucho asked and Gus realised that he forgot about something very important. He reached into his pocket and pulled Elico out.

"Sure, but I can only do three at once. And I think Vulcan needs one the most. Then, the other two will be for Elfin and..." Spectra started.

"Master Spectra?" Gus interrupted him, which was very rude, but necessary. 

"Yes?" Gus loved to see how much Spectra's expression softened when he turned towards him.

"I will need the last pod." Spectra's eyes widened as he realised what Gus meant.

"For whom?" Marucho asked, because that second Bakugan of his needed a bath as well. Gus did not answer, he turned to Vulcan and threw Elico at him softly.

"Aquos Blast Elico, stand." He said quietly, almost whispering. Elico grew into his full size falling into Vulcan's hand, unconscious. Helios came closer and supported them both. 

"How is he?" Helios asked.

"Barely alive." Vulcan answered honestly.

"I managed to temporarily fix him in the Palace, but..." Gus bowed his head in shame. It was all his fault.

"It is not your fault, Gus. He will be alright." Spectra read his mind. "Helios, please, help those three into the pods. You guys," he turned to the Brawlers, "go wherever you want, make yourself at home. Vestal Destroyer, bring them something to eat. And Gus, you stay with them and rest, you deserve it." He headed for the lab.

"No way, I'm going with you. I owe it to you and to them, master." Gus followed him. When the lab door closed behind them, Spectra asked:

"When did you become so disobedient, Gus?" He said it just by the way, as if it was not important at all.

"I am sorry, master Spectra." Gus bowed his head again, realising that he acted against the Servant Codex like five times in the past hour.

"It is adorable," Spectra stroked his cheek, smiling softly, "and do not bow your head like this, it does not suit you. Forget the past and focus on the future."

"You're very sweet but my friends are dying here." Helios interrupted. Both Spectra and Gus turned red, took their usual spots at the computers and started working. Spectra was still feeling great, because, with Gus at his side, the healing process was two times faster than when he was healing Helios alone.


	28. Revelation

\- Revision: What have we already found out about Vestal society?  
\--Love  
\--Time  
\--Who rules where  
\--Weather  
\--Age  
\--Food  
\--School and work  
\--Internet  
\--Hairstyles and eye colours  
\--Hygiene  
\--A  
\--Survival

\- What will we learn today? Asking questions.  
\--This is not really a thing of the entire society. I will explain to you an article from the Servant Codex that was somehow important in the past chapters and it still will be (because Gus is so cute when acting as a servant even though they are actually dating). So, it works like this: a servant is not allowed to answer any questions that directly or indirectly involve his master, unless his master orders him to. It exists to prevent servants from betraying their masters in interrogations. That is why Gus never said anything. Of course, Vestal Destroyer follows this rule as well.

 

~Episode 104 - Final Fury~

Spectra tried to focus on his work, but SOMEONE was making it really hard.

'What now, Spectra?'

'What do you mean, Keith?'

'Don't you dare 'What do you mean?' me! You know exactly what I mean! What do you want to do? You have to make a choice: Mira or Gus?'

'The answer is crystal clear to me.'

'But what about Mira?'

'She can manage somehow.'

'No, she can't! We have to protect her!'

'Keith, let me get this straight: You are our past self. I am our future self. If we want to be happy, we have to work together.' Spectra proposed.

'You're right. We have to stop fighting each other and find a compromise.' Keith agreed.

'Just like we learned from the Brawlers.' Spectra added.

'Exactly. I have an idea: We will stay with Gus.' Keith said after a pause.

'I like your idea.'

'Yes, we will move on towards the future. But we will make sure that Mira can do the same.'

'Agreed.' When Spectra said this, Keith disappeared. 

\---

"And that is it." Spectra said and released the last three Bakugan from the pods. He and Gus joined the others in the main hall. They were still catching up to what happened during the battle. This fact was hilarious to Gus and Spectra, but they tried not to laugh out loud. They did not need to ask anything, because he could figure everything out themselves.

"And professor Clay?" Ace asked.

"Unfortunately, Hydron sealed his fate along with the fate of King Zenoheld." Gus explained.

"It's okay." Mira wiped off her tears and smiled. "I'm alright, guys."

"With Zenoheld, Hydron and father gone, we are all finally safe from harm's way and can move on." Spectra said, remembering Keith's last wish. 

"It's finally over!" Dan agreed with a smile.

"Yes. It's time that we end our journey and return to Vestal." Mira gave Dan her hand. Everyone said their goodbyes.

"Dan, try not to get into too much trouble, okay? I won't be around to watch your back all the time. But of you ever need anything, don't hesitate to reach out." Spectra smiled.

"Thanks."

"You showed me the error of my ways and I thank you for that, Dan Kuso."

"We both do. And I'm glad that we can call each other allies now." Gus joined.

"Allies? Dude, we're brothers!" Dan said as they shook hands. Gus would not go that far, but he let Dan call them whatever he wants. It was just funny, because Gus could never consider master Spectra his brother. But he wasn't laughing. His chest hurt more and dark spots appeared in front of his eyes.

When the humans left, Mira reached out after them. It was obvious to Spectra that she is not ready to let go of her past. He has to prepare her for the future before the ship reaches Vestal. 

"Don't worry, you'll see him again." He squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. "Vestal Destroyer, destination: Vestal!"

Gus was trying to stay with the others, but he could not hold on any longer. Everything went black. 

Spectra caught Gus before he could hit his head against the floor.

"Gus!" When he made sure that he is still alive, he smiled. "Overworking yourself again, are you?" He said softly, lifting him.

"Is he okay?" Mira asked.

"He will be fine. This happens all the time." Mira accepted Spectra's answer with a nod, mildly horrified. "Vestal Destroyer, navigate them into the living room." He ordered and turned to Mira. "I will be right there." Then, he left them.

\---

"Go downstairs into the basement floor." Vestal Destroyer navigated the three vestals through the ship.

"Wasn't there a haunted hallway in the basement?" Baron asked.

"Don't worry, Baron, Vestal Destroyer wouldn't lead us into a place like that." Mira comforted him.

"She would," Vestal Destroyer said, "but she cannot because she is programmed to show you the shortest way and this hallway is somewhere else. Turn right and open the door on your left." Mira followed the instructions and entered a cozy room with a small coffee table, a sofa and two armchairs. 

"You're a girl?" She asked. She and Ace sat down on the sofa and Baron used one of the armchairs. Vestal Destroyer did not answer. 

\---

Spectra placed Gus on the bed in the infirmary and connected his body to the medical computers.

"Gus, stay with me, I need you." He told him.

"I will never leave you, master." Gus whispered weakly while his eyes fluttered open.

"How are you feeling?" Spectra asked immediately.

"I am alright, you do not have to worry." Right after he said it, he coughed, ruining the act he tried to put on. Spectra looked at the computer, that has just finished the analysis, and gasped. "Do not tell me what it is, please. I do not want to know." Gus smiled. "You said you needed something. What is it?" 

"But my problem is so irrelevant compared to what you are dealing with right now." Spectra sighed.

"If it concerns you, it is not irrelevant. Tell me, I am here for you." 

"I am grateful. My problem is Mira. She expects me to go back to Vestal and live with her, but... I want to be with you. How am I supposed to tell her?"

"Tell her..." Gus' eyes landed on a device in this room and widened a fraction as he realised that there is an option he did not think of, that could be the ideal solution. Everything fell into place like puzzle pieces: His parents, his feelings, his love for master Spectra, the experiences from the prison, Mrs. Miriam's research and this machine. He was not entirely sure whether he was correct or not, but deep inside of him he knew he was right. And he has to prepare master Spectra for the news. "Tell her about us."

"But-"

"And that I am a girl." 

Spectra opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"I know, master. But just trust me." Gus smiled, using his last strength to take Spectra's mask out of his pocket and give it to him. "I have a plan." With these words, Gus closed his eyes. 

"He is asleep." Vestal Destroyer reported. Spectra finally found his voice. He put his mask into his pocket. 

"How is he?" He asked.

"The damage on his body is nothing compared to the traumatic experience he went through. He needs to rest. The ribs will heal in a day or two, but his mental side... only you can heal that."

"I will do my best." Spectra sighed. He watched Gus' face form a pained expression.

"Your sister is expecting you in the living room, master. I suggest you go talk to her." Vestal Destroyer said. Spectra looked at Gus, who was obviously having a nightmare. It hurt him to leave him like that, but he had to.

"You are right." He stood up and went to the door. "Oh, and Vestal Destroyer? We have to use she/her pronouns for Gus from now on, I guess." 

"Yes, master." With that, Spectra left the infirmary and went to his sister.

\---

"How is he?" Mira welcomed him with a question. 

"Fine, just needs some rest." He answered. 

"I see. And how are you?" She was full of determination, but he had no idea what is she talking about.

"I am alright, why would I not be?" He asked, confused. 

"There is something bothering you." She stated as a fact. He nodded in resignation.

"There is something we need to discuss, Mira." He sat down on the remaining armchair. "I cannot go back to Vestal with you."

"Why not?" She was shocked.

"I want to stay here with Gus." Spectra remained calm.

"But... doesn't he want to go back to his family too?"

"Gus does not have a family." He said in a sad voice, remembering a certain night when Gus told him about his life prior to becoming his servant.

"He can come with us, then!"

"It is not as simple as you think. You came here to save the Bakugan and you did that, but me and Gus... we have a different goal and we want to finish what we started. And there is one more..." Spectra's voice trailed off as the door opened and Gus was standing there. He looked tired, but still as beautiful as always with a light smile on his perfectly shaped lips. How could Spectra even survive every day without seeing this first thing in the morning? "Gus! You are supposed to be resting!"

"I am sorry, master. I cannot sleep." He apologised. Spectra understood immediately. Nightmares.

"Come here." Spectra gestured towards his lap, because there was no empty seat for him. Gus hesitated at first, but then he actually sat down in Spectra's lap. Spectra put his arms around his waist and Gus cuddled closer into him. "Was it really that bad there?" Spectra asked cautiously.

"One night, my crazy cellmate Sally tried to stab my eyes out with a plastic fork while I was asleep. I hardly slept since." Gus whispered, not looking into Spectra's eyes. It was a painful memory, but he knew it was his fault for challenging Zenoheld in the first place. 

"Well, you can sleep peacefully now, I will not allow anyone to hurt you. I love you, Gus." Spectra was holding him tightly and Gus smiled.

"I love you too, master Spectra." Then, he placed his head on Spectra's chest and fell asleep in a few seconds. Here, listening to Spectra's heartbeat, he felt safe.

Spectra completely forgot that they have an audience. When he lifted his gaze, it landed on his sister and her friends, staring at him open-mouthed. 

"Yeah, and then there is this." He smiled awkwardly. Mira inhaled, as if she was trying to say something, but no words came out. 

"Gus is a girl?" Ace asked in her stead. Spectra nodded. 

"And your... girlfriend?" Baron squeaked. Spectra nodded again. Their reaction was different from what he expected. He thought that they are going to be either happy for them, or disgusted. But this was just pure shock and surprise, as if it was incomprehensible.

"But..." Mira finally found her voice. "I thought he was... she was..." 

"Male?" Ace suggested.

"Yes! Because she doesn't have any... you know..." Mira gestured towards her chest. "How?" 

"I do not know the story behind it myself. I just know she is. We will just have to wait for her to wake up to find out." Spectra smiled while absently brushing his fingers through Gus' hair.

"Master Spectra, may I interrupt?" Vestal Destroyer entered the conversation.

"What is it?" Spectra agreed.

"I believe that there is another matter you have to discuss with miss Mira."

"Really?" Mira asked.

"Really?" Spectra repeated.

"Yes, about the apartment she used to live in. You see, its owner was Clay Fermin, and when he passed away, it has been automatically given to the government and sold to a new owner, as per Vestal Law." Vestal Destroyer explained.

"I didn't think about that!" Mira gasped.

"To be honest, neither did I." Spectra admitted.

"What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? I don't have enough money to get my own apartment, I don't even have a workplace!" Mira panicked. "Could I maybe stay here with you, Keith?"

"I'm sorry, Mira. We have no empty rooms." Spectra replied. That was a big lie and he knew it. Vestal Destroyer had almost hundred free rooms now that nearly all the servants were gone. But he needed time for the not-so-cool-anymore boy sitting next to his sister to find his words and say something.

"You c-could..." Ace stuttered. "You could live at mine. I-I mean, until you get your own." Spectra could not help but notice the pink dusting on his cheeks as he spoke. Mira calmed down a bit and looked at him in surprise.

"I could?"

"Of course." Ace smiled, but he locked his eyes on his knees and did not move. "After everything you've done for me, I'm glad I can pay you back at least a little." He said quietly. Baron rolled his eyes as if this happened all the time, Ace was flustered and Mira did not understand anything that was going on around her. The situation was a total mess and it was hilarious.

"Okay, sure. Thanks, Ace." Now even Spectra rolled his eyes. Mira straight up did not notice the state Ace was apparently in, or the blindingly obvious fact that he would usually never ever let anyone live in his place.

The following conversation was just red-faced stuttering mess Ace and clueless Mira trying to figure out the details of their cohabitation. That is, until Gus woke up.

"How are you feeling?" Spectra whispered to him. 

"Everything is perfect when I am with you." Gus smiled and Spectra blushed a little. He still was not used to these compliments out of nowhere. 

"Gus, you're awake!" Baron noticed, pulling them out of their moment. Now it was Gus' turn to have some colour run into his cheeks when he realised that there were people watching them all the time.

"You need to tell us. How are you a girl?" Mira asked. Gus remained silent, turning his face to Spectra. Spectra had no idea what is going on for a second there, but when he realised, his mouth stretched into a wide smile. With a 'I do not deserve to have someone this perfect to love me' written all over his face, he spoke:

"Yes, Gus, you may answer her questions." Gus smiled and nodded as thanks, then turned to Mira. 

"I was born this way. Though, I understand that you are confused. I will explain. I am from a science-oriented family, you probably know. However, my parents wanted to have a son, not a daughter. So they implanted a device that releases male hormones into my body." He pointed at a scar from a cut on the inside of his wrist. This one was actually made by Zenoheld's men in an interrogation several tens of days ago, but he was quite certain that Mira will not notice. "I had no idea until a while ago. But this was the reason why I never... grew." Gus gestured on his curves, that were very un-woman-like. 

"I love you the way you are, Gus. Man or woman, it does not matter." Spectra rested his chin on Gus' shoulder.

"Thank you, master." Gus smiled. 

"And when did you find out, Keith?" Ace asked. Spectra thought about it for a while. 

"I think it was around the time Dan arrived on New Vestroia. It was not really a shock for me, because I had a feeling that it is that way even before." He explained.

"How did you know?" Baron asked.

"Well, I liked her way too much to be just a friend." Spectra blushed. "And then, one day, she suddenly came to me and told me that she is a girl and that she loves me."

"I would definitely be shocked by that. What did you do?" Ace wondered. The blush on Spectra's cheeks deepened.

"He kissed me." Gus answered. Everyone pointed their judging looks at Spectra.

"What? Actions speak louder than words." Spectra shrugged.

"I bet you got that from Dan." Mira teased.

"I did not!" Spectra defended himself.

"I bet he did." Gus laughed as well.

"I thought you were supposed to be forever on my side?" Spectra said in a fake-betrayed tone.

"Please accept my deepest apologies, master Spectra." Gus mocked. Spectra hit his forehead against his. 

"No way. I demand a divorce." He said that, but his voice grew significantly softer.

"Please do not. I promise it will not happen again." Gus smiled. Their noses brushed.

"Okay, we get it, you're sweet, but please stop." Mira sighed. Gus and Spectra pulled away from each other in an instant, embarrassed. This was like a reflex, it was natural, they did not even realise they were doing it. It felt normal to be as close as possible at all times. 

"Sorry," Spectra said, still staring into Gus' eyes, "but Gus is too irresistible." Gus could not look away either, drowning in the icy blue of his master's eyes and ignoring Baron's "You are such a cute couple!" in the background. Vestal Destroyer interrupted.

"We have arrived to our destination."


	29. Some Things to Do

"Mira, we will definitely stay in contact. Call us anytime. You guys as well." Spectra smiled at them before they entered the transporter. In the last moment, Mira hugged him. 

"I'm gonna miss you, big brother." Her voice was muffled by his shirt. 

"I will miss you too. Now go." Spectra smiled back. When they disappeared, Spectra turned to Gus. "What was that story? What are you going to do now?" He asked, concerned.

"Do not worry about that now, master. I know exactly what I am doing. But first, I assume that there is a lot of unfinished work." He smiled.

"But-" Spectra started, but Gus stopped him by putting a finger on his lips. He came closer to him, there were just a few centimeters between their faces.

"Do you not trust me, master?" Gus asked, swiping his finger along Spectra's lips.

"I trust you with my life and you know that." Spectra smiled. This conversation came to an end, but neither of them could pull away. They were just standing there for several minutes, holding hands, eyes closed, foreheads rested against each other and smiling in satisfaction. They were so happy just because the other was with them.

"I hate to interrupt you, masters, but the number of unpublished articles has grown over hundred and people are starting to ask questions." Vestal Destroyer reminded them. Gus stepped back so quickly, that Spectra lost balance for a second there and almost fell down.

"I totally forgot! And we have to make an announcement of Zenoheld's defeat as well!" Gus gasped.

"And what about the Vexos?" Vestal Destroyer asked.

"What is with the Vexos?" Gus did not understand.

"One after another, Vestal Destroyer!" Spectra raised his voice a little and cut this chaos off. "Gus, you do PNS, write an article about the latest developments, the battle against the Alternative and announce Zenoheld's death. I will work on the projects by the people in the meantime and we will do the Vexos thing together after you are done."

"As you wish, master, but you should also get some sleep." Gus proposed and Spectra nodded. He really was tired from the battle, but he did not want to leave, so he just laid down on the carpet. They fell into a comfortable silence, only interrupted by the sounds of Gus' keyboard. Spectra watched Gus in awe. He was reading one PNS article after another, correcting mistakes and inaccuracies and publishing them at the speed of light. Concentrated expression, eyes flying across pages, fingers barely touching the keys. He was beautiful. Spectra tried to concentrate on his own work, but his eyes were glued to the perfect being in front of him. Eventually, the sound of the keyboard lulled him to sleep. 

When he woke up, Gus was just about ready to continue.

"Okay, I'm done." He showed Spectra the announcement before publishing it. "Now that thing with the Vexos." He turned around with a bright smile and Spectra almost fainted. 

"How is it possible to be this gorgeous?" Oopsie, this was not meant to be said out loud.

"You should ask that yourself." Gus replied without a second thought. Spectra still could not look away. They were both captivated with the other's gaze, neither of them breaking the eye contact.

"Masters, please, focus. The Vexos." Vestal Destroyer sighed. Gus blinked, realising what he was doing.

"Right. What happened to them? Where are they anyway?" He asked.

"I watched Mylene and Shadow be sucked into some sort of dimension gate, but I do not think that they died. I assume that wherever they are, Lync and Volt are there as well." Spectra explained.

"So we need to figure out where they could be. Could you please give me a more detailed description of their last moments? There must be a clue somewhere." Gus nodded. Spectra opened the data on Bakugan Interspace he got as a small parting present from Marucho. 

"This is the Brawlers' training ground, virtual reality for Bakugan battles called Bakugan Interspace. Mira and I battled there against Mylene and Shadow and we literally crushed them." Gus smiled. He would not expect anything less from his invincible boyfriend. "Mylene was dissatisfied, obviously, and threw at us some sphere that-" Gus' eyes widened and Spectra stopped talking because he did not want to disturb him.

"The Death Ball!" Gus realised and started looking for his gauntlet. When he found it, he pulled out the memory card and held it triumphantly for his master to see. "This," he smiled, "contains all data that used to be stored on the computers in the Palace." 

Spectra needed a few seconds to process this unimaginable information. All of his father's research was on that card. He had already come to terms with the fact that it got destroyed along with the Alternative and will never see the daylight again, but here it was, literally on the palm of his hand. And not only that. All of the classified information, Zenoheld's secrets, even about his mother. Everything was there. He did not know how to react. He could not think of a way to express how much he loves Gus for being so clever. He could feel tears of joy gather in his eyes. He just threw himself around Gus' shoulders with a simple "Thank you."

He was not just thanking him for the data. He was thanking him for everything. For always being with him. For coming back to him. For his beautiful existence that made his life a happy one.

And because it was Gus, he understood all of that.

"Thank you." He whispered back. Spectra gave his life a purpose. He made him feel needed. He made him feel loved. And he was grateful for it because that was all he ever wanted.

Even Vestal Destroyer felt that this is something she should not interrupt. Eventually, they pulled a bit apart, but Spectra stayed in between Gus' thighs, sharing his chair. Gus inserted the memory card into the computer and copied the data. Then, he opened it. The usually green screen turned blue.

"What is this?" Spectra asked, startled by the sudden change. 

"The Palace uses an older operation system," Gus said, not even realising that he is repeating exactly the same words Mrs. Miriam told him a few days ago, "The switch to the one we use today was made before we were born, but Zenoheld refused to change his computers, so he just kept going with the old ones. I will convert the files later, but for now, I am just opening it in compatibility modus."

"Is it a good thing, or a bad thing, that the last computers with this system were destroyed?" Spectra asked, gaze fixed at the slowly loading data on the screen. Gus chuckled.

"Definitely a bad thing."

\---

"Gus, that does it. Convert the files." Spectra was very frustrated. An hour was gone and only half of the data loaded.

"I cannot stop the loading now, master, it could damage the data. We have to wait." Gus apologised, just as bored as Spectra was. "How about we go do something else? Vestal Destroyer will notify us when it finishes."

"What do you suggest?" Spectra gave Gus a flirtatious smile. Gus put their foreheads together. Two can play this game.

"I do not know. Is there anything you would like to do, master?" Gus looked into his eyes innocently. He was teasing him, inviting him. Spectra answered by shifting their position, pulling Gus above himself. 

"You know what I want." Spectra whispered in a low voice, leaving his lips slightly parted. Gus could not stop his eyes from taking a look but forced himself to look up immediately afterward. 

"You want to become the king of Vestal. Is there anything else you want? If there is, just tell me, master." Gus switched from a teasing tone into a serious one. "I will do anything for you."

"You know... Do you know why I want to be the king?" Spectra could barely make himself answer when Gus was so close.

"Why?" Gus wondered.

"To be powerful enough to fulfill your every wish." Spectra said.

"You already did that." Gus smiled fondly. "And now it is time for me to pay you back."

"Loading complete." They looked at the screen, pulled out of their sweet moment, only to see the letters '65 %' displayed.

"What?" Gus was confused.

"Now you are just making fun of us, Vestal Destroyer! And we are not laughing! Do it once more and I swear I will cut your personality chip in half!" Spectra exclaimed, annoyed, the colour of his cheeks matching his jacket.

"Our AI is... joking? That is amazing!" Gus cheered excitedly. Spectra felt a sting of jealousy because Gus' focus was on something else than him. 

"Vestal Destroyer, concentrate on loading the data and let Gus concentrate on-" Spectra stopped himself from finishing the sentence.

"What is wrong, master?" Gus turned around. "Could it be... you are..." He lifted his eyebrow in amusement. "...jealous of our ship?"

"I am not." Spectra blushed.

"That is so adorable." Gus teased, knocking their foreheads together again.

"It is not." Spectra pouted. 

"There is no need to be ashamed of that, master. I was also jealous a few times in the past. I was never jealous of an object, though." Gus stuck his tongue out and playfully licked Spectra's pouted bottom lip. Spectra had his breath stolen away.

"I love you so much." He breathed out, leaving his lips parted again, inviting Gus in. But he refused to accept his invitation just yet.

"I know, but seriously, do you think I would break up with you and start dating Vestal Destroyer or what?"

"Gus..." Spectra whimpered.

"I mean like, what were you thinking? There is no way I would replace you with a computer." Gus continued to ramble about nothing, pretending not to notice the state Spectra was in.

"Please..." Spectra's gaze was locked on Gus' lips. There was just one single thing he wanted right now. He could not help feeling betrayed. Gus promised to do anything for him, yet he is just standing there goofing around.

"And here I thought you were smarter than me and..." Gus kept talking. He wanted Spectra to kiss him first for once, but at this rate, the data will load before Spectra does something.

At one point, neither of them could hold back any longer. They both made the move to close the space between them and connect their lips. They were hungry and desperate, biting and tugging at each other, wanting to savour the taste, imprint it into their mind and never forget it. Both of them tried to do that at one or other time before, but the other kept surprising him. Each kiss was completely different. For example, this one was messy, sloppy and wet, yet still perfect. The previous one was soft, tender and full of their feelings. Now, they just wanted to show how much they need and want the other. And the one before... they could barely remember the last time they kissed before their separation. It was... probably somewhere around the time they created the draft of the Twin Destructor. And that was way too long ago.

"Loading complete. Putting the data on the screen." Vestal Destroyer reported. Gus brushed his lips against Spectra's one last time and pulled away, shifting into a more suitable position in Spectra's lap. As he reached for the keyboard, his hair was put aside and he felt Spectra's lips caressing his neck and shoulder. He gasped and then closed his eyes because the tickling feeling that ran through his spine was very pleasant.

"Master," Gus moaned. "I really... need to work." It really hurt him to say these words, but he had to. Spectra pulled away.

"Right." The disappointment in his voice was clear.

"I am really sorry..."

"It is alright, I understand. Well, how is it? Can you find the Vexos?" Spectra asked. Gus scrolled through the data, opening a file that described the way a Death Ball works. He read through this along with Spectra, who was looking over his shoulder. Gus was very distracted by Spectra's hot breath, which was the reason why Spectra found the required information first. "Here. We can use this to track down where the gate took them." He pointed. 

"I see." Gus nodded. He swept the blue screen aside and opened a new, green one. He copied the information Spectra spoke of and copied it from one to the other. He entered a few commands and in a few seconds, the program calculated approximate coordinates.

"Vestal Destroyer, activate long-range scanners." Spectra ordered while looking smugly at Gus. It had exactly the effect he wanted.

"We have long-range scanners?" Gus turned around to face him, surprised.

"I made them to find you." Spectra smiled. He expected them to kiss, but Gus turned towards the screen again suddenly. He opened the project list.

"Project Seeker?" He chuckled.

"I really am bad at naming things, am I not?" Spectra said as Gus opened the research log. At that moment, his mouth opened in surprise.

"You made all of this... just to find me? After I disobeyed you? I am not worthy of such effort!" He asked. There were tons of devices, each and every one of them completely different yet still genius. 

"You will always be worthy to me, Gus." Spectra smiled.

"The long-range scanners picked up four life signals of vestal origin, not far from the calculated destination. Three of them have their body functions lowered on minimum and are in coma, still alive, but not for long. The fourth one is tired but awake, and appears to be holding everyone together." Vestal Destroyer reported.

"Get us there as fast as possible." Spectra commanded while Gus opened the findings from the scanner. He watched the masterly created combination of infrared rays and ultrasound.

"Incredible." He whispered. He could not see which one of them is which Vexos member, but he could perfectly see their heartbeat and their lungs trying to catch some oxygen.

"How come it did not find you?" Spectra asked.

"The prison walls were made of multiple layers of different metals, blocking all signal. And even if you found me, there were probably another seven hundred people in this prison. There is no way you could find out which one is me." Gus ran his fingers through Spectra's hair, showing that he does not blame him for anything. But Spectra was blaming himself.

"I should have expected this, I should have... did you say seven hundred?" He asked.

"I do not know. I was number 725, but it is possible that some of them died before I even came. I would anticipate that there is like..." Gus counted the probability of survival in the prison's conditions. "...one hundred at most?" Spectra did not expect to hear such a small number.

"Just what kind of horrible place is that?" He gasped.

"Well, I met someone there who said they have been there for fifty years, and they never saw anyone be released. I anticipate that the prison started working a few years after Zenoheld's wife died, and considering the conditions in there, not many people could have survived it."

"I see. Anyway, we will go and save them, but the Vexos are our top priority. The prisoners can wait." Spectra nodded.

"Master, please, do not call them prisoners. All of them are completely innocent, I am sure of it."

"Hundred percent? Are you sure?"

"Yes. One day, after I kicked the warden, he told everyone that they can do anything to me without punishment. No one touched me, though, some even smiled and told me that they would have done the same thing."

"Why would you kick the warden?" Spectra asked. He could barely imagine a situation that would force Gus to be violent. 

"He was being really gross." Gus winced at this memory. Spectra gave him a look that demanded a more accurate description. "He wanted me to call him 'master' and tried to kiss me." Gus explained in a tone that showed how much he despises that person. 

"For his sake, I hope he died in that explosion." Spectra gritted his teeth angrily.

"Me too." Gus agreed.

"We have arrived at our destination." Vestal Destroyer announced. Spectra and Gus exchanged worried looks and headed on the deck. Spectra put his mask on.


	30. Like My Shadow

Empty. Dark. Cold. Quiet. Dead.

Those were Mylene's impressions of space. 

When she arrived here after being sucked in by a broken Death Ball, Shadow was holding her hand. She had no idea why, but she has never felt more safe. Even though her surroundings were cold, she had felt warmth inside of her. But this warmth was long gone now.

She was scared. She hated to admit it, but she was. She tried to preserve her energy so that she could stay awake, but she could not calm her heart. She was afraid of death. It was Shadow who comforted her. He was talking. His sharp and usually annoying voice filled the silence around them. They found Lync's and Volt's unconscious bodies, realising that they are going to end up the same way. But Shadow kept saying that everything will be fine. Eventually, he ran out of air and fell into coma. She was holding his hand as if her life depended on it. 

She was frightened. She did not want to die. There were still many things she wanted to do. Or were there? She did not really know anymore. Did her life have a purpose until now? What was she trying to achieve? Nothing. She was no better than that spoiled brat Hydron. She was only trying to be acknowledged by her father. But he ignored her ever since she was born. She still felt that she left something open, unfinished. She could not comprehend where that feeling came from, though. 

Suddenly, a gate appeared not far away from her, along with a billion questions. What is going on? Did Zenoheld send someone else here? Who was it? Spectra? Or another Brawler? Why?

None of the above. It was the Vestal Destroyer. But why was it here? Did someone come to finish her off? When it came closer, she recognised Spectra and Gus standing on the deck. Okay, so she was dead. Does this mean that there is something else after death? An afterlife, where you can be with all your beloved ones who are already dead? Will she finally get to meet her mother?

Spectra and Gus offered her their hands. She did not accept them, instead, she used the small thrusters all over her armor (that she usually needed to be able to walk on water or float above the surface) to move herself, Shadow, Lync and Volt into the gravitational field the ship was generating. She landed on her knees, three lifeless bodies falling around her, but she stood up quickly. Spectra grabbed Volt, Gus Lync and she Shadow and they dragged them inside. After the airlock door closed behind them and their surroundings filled with air, Mylene collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and enjoying the feeling of oxygen flowing through her veins. After a few seconds, even the other three started to wake up. Mylene was still holding Shadow's hand, helping him to stand up. Spectra was the first one who dared to say something. 

"Is everyone alright?" He asked. They all nodded, but then they started to realise the situation they were in.

"What do you want with us?" Mylene asked.

"Why did you save us?" Lync added.

"And what about Zenoheld?" Volt demanded. Considering that they were just saved by him, they were a bit too hostile towards master Spectra in Gus' opinion. But he had learned in their recent past that he has to stay calm.

"We will tell you everything while you get something to eat. Are you able to walk?" He turned to Lync and Volt, who were still sitting on the floor. Both of them stood up in response.

"Good. Follow us, then." Spectra nodded. "Vestal Destroyer, bring them something to eat into the living room. And set course for the destroyed Palace." This awakened a lot of questions in the Vexos: Who is he talking to? There is a living room? Why back to the Palace? Why is it destroyed? Why would he want to go to the Palace when it is destroyed? And most importantly, neither of them could help but notice Spectra's and Gus' intertwined fingers. 

They noticed that there is a small problem after they arrived into the living room. There was just four seats. They should really add chairs into this place. Mylene sat down on the sofa and Shadow seated himself on the armrest next to her. Volt took the second spot on the sofa and Lync threw himself into one of the armchairs. There was just one armchair left for Gus and Spectra, but Spectra did not mind having Gus sit on his lap. Maybe they should not add chairs after all.

"So, let me start with the most important information. Zenoheld is dead. Hydron and Clay too. They all went down along with the Alternative." Spectra explained. In the meantime, Gus opened a screen above them to show a footage from the Vestal Destroyer. 

"And let me guess: You want to be the next king." Lync said and Spectra nodded. 

"And you want us to help you?" Volt was not asking. Spectra agreed.

"No way." Mylene disagreed.

"Please, hear him out." Gus asked them.

"I do want to be the king. I know that you do not trust me, and honestly, I do not blame you, but I need your support..." 

Spectra explained everything. His story and reasons to become the king. Gus added something from time to time and then followed Spectra by telling his own story (the 'Why am I a girl' version). They also explained their relationship and told them about the AI and other changes they made to Vestal Destroyer. Meanwhile, the Vexos hesitantly started eating the food that emerged from the table. (Except for Shadow, he does not care. Scary or not scary, food is food.) They had to admit that Vestal Destroyer could cook quite well. 

This was not about convincing them to support Spectra. This was about clearing up misunderstandings, justifying their past actions and forgiving each other. It was a traditional way of solving conflicts on Vestal. The first one to answer was Lync. Spectra expected that, considering that he gave the Brawlers intel about the Alternative.

"As you probably know, the Volan family used to be known for its achievements in science. The operation system used today was created by my grandfather. However, when my father, the only heir of our name, married a woman of low education, everyone thought that the line of scientists in our family has come to an end. I wanted to prove them wrong. 

I was doing an apprenticeship at professor Clay's lab, but I never got any credit for what I did. I had no achievements. I was assisting with the discovery of New Vestroia and creation of cities Alpha and Beta. It was my idea to put Gamma City underground, but someone else figured out how to realise that, and he got all the glory. It was then when I learned that I can only be loyal to myself." He turned to Spectra and stood up, his tone and expression turning into something way more hostile. "You may not remember me from your father's lab, Keith, but I remember you clearly. The amazing Keith Fermin, who created breakthrough inventions ever since he finished school. So I joined the Vexos to be one step ahead of you. But guess what? Before I could actually do something, you joined the Vexos and became the leader immediately afterwards!" He was almost screaming. Then, he sat back down. "Everything changed when I met Alice. I tried to concentrate on my work, but I could not stop thinking about her. I betrayed the king and my family and gave up my life to save her." He did not continue, instead, he filled his mouth with another sandwich. Everyone already knew the story of what happened afterwards. 

"We understand you, Lync." Gus said into the silence. "What you feel towards that girl, we feel for each other." He looked at Spectra and smiled at him before adding: "You acted rightfully. We forgive you."

"We do not blame you for your actions. Also, if you did not give the Alternative data to the Brawlers, we would never be able to defeat Zenoheld. This merit is yours. You were the one who prevented Zenoheld from destroying Vestal, and everyone knows." Spectra agreed. Gus showed him the announcement of Zenoheld's death. Lync was very surprised to see his name in the article, right next to the words: 'The brave young warrior who almost sacrificed his life to save people of Vestal and his beloved ones.'

"Drago agreed to let us vestals live on New Vestroia. We want to send Alpha, Beta and Gamma City back as soon as we get the power to do so, and possibly add more cities in the future. We would be glad to have you on the top of this as the governor of Gamma City." Gus explained one of their plans for the future. He was really happy to be finally able to say it out loud. He and Spectra were planning all of this ever since Spectra told him about his goal to become the king, and now, they had a chance to make their dreams come true. 

"I forgive you too, and I am willing to join you and support you, but I have one condition." Lync nodded.

"What is it?" Spectra asked. At that moment, Lync's cheeks turned a bit red.

"I know Vestal is dealing with overpopulation and all that stuff, but... If Alice agrees... I would like to have her live here... with me." He mumbled quietly.

"That will not be a problem." Spectra said. 

"And Lync," Gus added, "Do not be afraid to ask her. You only meet a person like this once, do not let your chance with her slip away." He threw a sweet smile in Spectra's direction.

"I am from a poor family. Everyone had low education, but they were trying their best to be better. When I got into a high school, everyone was surprised. I decided to join the Vexos and get closer to the king because I want to make the gaps between differently educated people as small as possible. We are all vestals, right? We should be equals!" Volt paused his speech and looked at Spectra, asking for his opinion on the matter.

"We can definitely find agreement on that point. But do you have any ideas on how to do it? I have a few theories myself, but I would appreciate help." Spectra agreed and Gus nodded.

"I would create an exam system. I imagine that people could do an exam to prove that they are worthy of a higher education level. Because I think that some low or middle education people could achieve high level by replacing talent with hard work." Volt explained.

"True, that would even the differences. It would also create more workplaces for teachers, and more teachers as well. We could even make preparation lessons for this exam. But would that not lower the overall level of high and middle education people?" Gus considered the possible consequences.

"A little bit, yes." Volt admitted. 

"That is negligible." Spectra said. "And inevitable. While the number of high ed people has lowered in the past few years, the numbers of middle and especially low ed people have grown exponentially. This would be an ideal response and solution."

"But we cannot overdo it. That could have disastrous consequences." Gus warned. Spectra and Volt wanted to continue the conversation, but Lync interrupted them by clearing his throat. Everyone realised what they were supposed to be doing. 

"Yes. We forgive you, Volt. Your actions were selfless, made several hundreds of lives better and we are sure you will continue in the future." Spectra said.

"I forgive you too, and as long as you will help me, I will help you. Do you have a place for me planned, just like you do for Lync?" Volt asked.

"Of course," Gus smiled, "we want you to be the governor of Vestal. Your work on Alpha City was impressive, and we want you to spread it even further."

Volt nodded and everyone turned to Mylene and Shadow. It was their turn to talk.


	31. Like My Shadow (part 2)

\- Revision: What have we already found out about Vestal society?  
\--Love  
\--Time  
\--Who rules where  
\--Weather  
\--Age  
\--Food  
\--School and work  
\--Internet  
\--Hairstyles and eye colours  
\--Hygiene  
\--A  
\--Survival  
\--Questions

\- What will we learn today? Throne.  
\--I realised that I never actually explained how the Vestal throne is inherited. The king can choose his successor, and when he does that, his decision is absolute. When he does not do that, the title is automatically passed down to his elder child. When the king does not have any children, the people vote on GNS and elect a new king. There are no candidates, people can vote for whoever they want. Zenoheld is a grandson of an elected king, and he apparently did not inherit any of the traits that made people vote for his grandfather. 

\---

Everyone was looking at her. Everyone expected her to say something similar. That she was doing something righteous. That she was doing something for the people. That she was trying to save her beloved ones. But that was not what happened. 

She was the cause of other's pain ever since she was born. She was hurting people her entire life. She hurt others to save herself. She was selfish. She never cared about anyone. She hated her parents more than anything in the world for making her life hell. 

She was born with a defect she inherited from her father: She could barely feel any emotions. However, she heard from the servants in the Palace that her mother was very emotional and passionate, so she hoped that she was capable of feelings like the others. But until today, she did not feel anything but fierce anger. The other things she felt, she was not able to name and it only confused her, so she ignored all of it.

Shadow was her complete opposite. He had too many emotions, but he could not express them properly. People said he was eccentric, she thought he was lucky. They were together ever since she could remember. They evened out each other's flaws, and made a great team. She was the brain, and he was the heart. But what were they exactly? Childhood friends? Colleagues? Teammates? Siblings? No, that was not it. She did not know.

"I..." She started, but she did not know how to continue. Shadow squeezed her fingers. Again with that weird warm feeling that spread from the places where he was touching her through her hand into her heart. She breathed in and out. "We don't have a nice story to justify our actions. What we did was wrong and we are aware of it. But we will accept any punishment and try our best to make up for it." 

"I know it is rude to ask this, but where did you two come from? There are barely any records." Gus asked. Mylene nodded, she knew she had to say it, but she did not want to. It was her darkest secret. She never told this to anyone. She hoped that if she does not admit it to herself, this fact about her heritage will disappear. To get ready for it, she decided to begin with the story she and Shadow shared.

"We both grew up together in Vestal Palace. The servants raised us. Ever since we were 18, we had to help out with chores around the Palace to earn our living. When Zenoheld decided to reform the Vexos and exchange current members for the best Bakugan Brawlers to assist Hydron, we were the first candidates. We were forced to learn to play and practice to become the best. We both had talent, but it was still hard. Though, I think he sent us on New Vestroia just to get rid of us." The air in the room became colder with every word she said. 

"So you are orphans?" Gus asked, just to make sure.

"Shadow is. He just appeared one day in front of the Palace gate. An old lady, her name was Christine Prove, decided to take him for her own, because she had no family left. However, she died when he was ten, so neither of us remembers her." She explained.

"And you?" Spectra asked. It was not like he did not trust Mylene, he just had a weird anticipation. She took a deep breath. 

"My father is king Zenoheld." Her statement took everyone's breath away, just like she expected. She tried to defend herself. "But I am an unofficial child. My mother was a palace servant. Her name was..."

"...Sally. Sally Farrow." Gus breathed out as he connected the information he knew and he just found out. This time, it was Mylene who was surprised. 

"How do you know?" She gasped. 

"We have met." Gus sighed. Eyes of everyone in the room were directed at him now. 

"So, she is alive?" Mylene asked. She had always wanted to talk to her mother. She wanted to find out what kind of person she was. But she thought that she was long dead, because that is what always happens to Zenoheld's toys. She did not know how to react. Should she be happy? Should she be angry? Should she even care about someone she has never met? She was confused. But that all ended when Gus shook her head. 

"No, not anymore."

*flashback*

"Attention everyone. This is not a drill. An emergency situation has occurred. All prisoners are to return to their cells and stay there until further notice." An announcement resonated through the thick walls of the prison. Gus looked up from his work, then at Mrs. Miriam. It was very unusual for the personnel to use the loudspeaker network to broadcast information. Also, the prison was as calm and peaceful as a prison could be. What on earth could possibly be happening? 

"Run, my boy! Get to your cell while you still can!" Mrs. Miriam warned him.

"Why? What is going on?"

"Trust me, you do not want to know! Sooner or later..."

"Prisoner 155, report to the canteen immediately." 

"It seems I am needed." Mrs. Miriam smiled. "See you on the other side!" With these words, she disappeared somewhere. Gus wanted to go after her, but he did not know where the canteen is. He was not allowed to eat with others. He had nothing left to do but to head into his cell. He did not rush, though. He walked slowly through the hallways, enjoying the fact that for once, there are no guards. 

But when he was getting close to his cell, there were many guards. Too many.

"You will never catch me alive!" When he heard Sally scream, he ran closer.

"What...." He wanted to ask, but his voice gave up. The only thing he could see was her body, hanging from the top bed. What was left of her uniform was soaked with dark red liquid, that was flowing in small streams like a network all over her body and dripping down into a large puddle on the floor. Right now, he was glad that he has not eaten that day yet. 

"Tell our children that we love them." He heard Mrs. Miriam's quiet and weak sounding voice from the crowd. The warden came. 

"Clean up this mess immediately. No one can find out about this, otherwise we will all be demoted from guards to prisoners!" He warned his subordinates and the crowd of guards started moving. Two guards emerged from the inside, carrying a body. And sadly, Gus recognised it. White lab coat, now stained with crimson, longish orange hair. He was horrified. What happened here?

"Hey, 725! Don't just stand there, clean it up!" Shouted a guard and placed a bucket with soap water and a sponge in front of Gus. Everyone left and Gus was locked inside of his cell with a sea of blood and a hanging corpse he was desperately trying to ignore. He could feel his stomach twist over and over. This is something he will never forget. 

*flashback end*

Suddenly, Gus realised why did Mrs. Miriam's eyes seem so familiar to him. This icy blue...

"Master, can I have a quick question?" He asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Of course, Gus, go ahead." Spectra smiled. 

"What exactly was your mother's name?"

"Miriam." Spectra noticed the horrified expression Gus wore. "Is something wrong?" 

"I am so sorry!" Gus bowed his head, which did not have much of an effect as it only buried his face in Spectra's chest due to their closeness. "She took care of me and taught me many things, but when she was dying, I could not do anything." Tears have already formed in his eyes. "If only I had been faster, if only I realised sooner..."

"Gus, I am sure that if you could do anything, you would. Stop blaming yourself. Could you... tell me something about her, please?" Spectra brushed his fingers through Gus' hair. Gus nodded.

"I would also like to hear about my mother." Mylene said. This was the first time the Vexos heard her say anything without her usual bossy tone. Gus dried his tears with his hand and stretched the other one into the air, opening a screen with the data from Zenoheld's computer he finished converting a while ago. He opened Sally's information.

"Prisoner 189, Sally Farrow, commonly known as Rebellious Sally," Gus started after a photo appeared on the screen, completely emotionlessly, "was my cellmate. Originally, she worked as an assistant for Mrs. Fermin, who was her best friend and also assisted at the birth of her daughter. But, after her daughter was taken away from her, she lost her sanity. She was placed into a cell on the edge of the prison, where they eventually placed me. She was known for her bloodthirstiness and wish for revenge. She stole plastic forks and knives from the canteen and attacked people with it." Gus opened the list of victims in her folder." Many prisoners have fallen with her hand, including..." He scrolled down to the end of the list and pointed at the last name, unable to finish his sentence. "Mrs. Miriam said that she was very kind, protective and caring, but also very sensible. The loss of her only family member has crushed her." He finished.

"She once sent me a message." Mylene admitted. Everything was clear to her now. "It only contained random words. If she was as insane as you say, it makes sense that they allowed it to be sent. I did not understand it at first, but eventually, I figured that there is a pattern to it. When I applied it and reordered the words, a sentence appeared in a mess of random words: 'Zenoheld is your father.' I never told anyone, because I was not sure whether it was true or not, but as I sniffed around the Palace, I found plenty of evidence. I hoped that if I'll work for him, he'll notice me, be proud of me, acknowledge me, whatever, but he never did."

"We forgive you both." Gus smiled. "We know what it feels like not to have a family."

"But Mylene, there are other people who acknowledge you besides your parents." Spectra added. "At the very least, there is the five of us, not to mention billions of vestals who adore you and count on you to protect them."

"Seems like we're switching sides~" Shadow threw one of his trademark crazy smiles at Mylene and she smiled. Shadow was dumbstruck. He has never seen her smile, ever. Not even when they were kids. He was always doing silly things, but she was only annoyed by him. None of the others has seen her smile either, and they were surprised, but Shadow was completely overwhelmed by this. She was smiling at him. He felt his body heat rise a tiny bit above his normal. Every bone inside of him was vibrating. The only thing he wanted to do was to hug her, but he knew that her personal space was very important to her and he did not want to go too far, so he just stared into her eyes. For once, their blue did not resemble the freezing cold waters of the lakes on Vestal. They were warm and welcoming, like two windows into the depths of her soul.

"I guess we are." She answered finally. Even her voice was warmer. Volt and Lync seemed to be confused, but Gus and Spectra knew all too well. They exchanged looks. 

/They are so in love. I told you so./ Gus' look said.

/I know, you were right as always. I love you./ Spectra looked at him back. He did not even have to see Gus' eyes to know the answer, but this look was one of the things he loved most about him.

/I love you too, master./

After a while, Gus spoke again. 

"So, we all forgive each other and agree to work together to make Vestal a better place and redeem ourselves from our past actions?" He asked and everyone nodded. Spectra stood up. 

"Let us go, then. We have a group of unjustly convicted prisoners to get back home." He said and everyone followed him to the main hall. 

\---

"Vestal Destroyer, what do the long-range scanners say?" Spectra asked. A screen opened in front of them.

"I picked up 56 life signals of vestal origin. They are all alive, but some of them are injured and need medical attention immediately." Gus opened another screen with the prisoner log. There was pain in his eyes when he pointed at the total number of prisoners: 87. 

"And the Palace staff?" Mylene asked. Gus opened another screen. Everyone was horrified with the new number: 149.

"180 deaths? What are we going to tell the people?" Volt realised.

"The truth, of course." Lync said. 

"I will post an announcement when we know the names." Gus sighed. Neither of these people had done anything bad, yet they are dead and he is still alive. "Vestal Destroyer, how long until we get there?"

"We will arrive in ten... nine... eight..."

"Vestal Destroyer, open the hangar door. Helios, Vulcan, please, collect the people and bring them on the deck. Vexos, follow me, we will take them inside and gather them in the main hall. Some might be injured. You all have high education, so just take them to the infirmary and treat them." Spectra commanded. 

"I will take care of the wounded." Lync said. He was usually childish, but now, it was visible that even he realised that this is not a game anymore. 

"I will identify all the people and create a list of victims. I will also make sure that they are all ready to take back their place in the society." Gus turned his gauntlet on. He knew, just like Lync, that he was not that strong to be able to carry so many people. Carrying master Spectra was one thing, but this was a lot harder and he was still injured himself, even though he hardly felt it. He decided to do something he does all the time as the Administrator of PNS and likes doing it. Lists, records, statistics, and finally, helping people to live a happy life on Vestal. 

\---

Everyone was standing on the deck, where people started to gather. And of course, they all recognised familiar uniforms and faces. 

"The Vexos came to save us!" The Palace servants cheered.

"725, you came back for us!" A man said. Gus recognised him as one of the scientists he worked with along with Mrs. Miriam, and even though he hated to be called by his number, he smiled at him.

"I made a promise, did I not?" 

"So, you were actually a Vexos?" Another prisoner asked. This was the man who had a cell near Gus. 

"You doubted about that?" Gus asked.

"I didn't believe you!" A woman who had a cell next door laughed.

"Come on, go inside. We will take you back to Vestal." Spectra said, pushing them gently towards the door. Mylene and Shadow carried the wounded to Lync into the infirmary while Spectra and Gus accompanied the healthy ones into the main hall, trying to maintain discipline and order to be able to properly register everyone and make sure that everyone gets a new communication device, a uniform, a place to live and a workplace when they get to Vestal. They also needed to order new supplies for the Vestal Destroyer because they were running out of food.

\---

The Vestal Destroyer was headed for its home planet and the Vexos were sitting in the living room, discussing the circumstances of their arrival.

"Thanks to Gus' announcement, everyone will be expecting us." Spectra started. 

"Where are we going to land? Or are you planning to teleport everyone?" Lync asked.

"Of course not. We will land on the place where the Palace used to be before Zenoheld went into exile. There should be enough space." Gus explained and proved his statement by pointing on the hologram-map in front of him.

"If they will be expecting us, is there going to be a broadcast team?" Volt asked.

"Most definitely." Spectra nodded. "And before you ask, yes, I am planning to speak to the people. I want them to know who to vote for."

"And we're supposed to follow you." Mylene stated. She didn't even need to ask, she knew Spectra well enough. 

"Of course, it would not make sense otherwise. I want to show everyone what am I planning to do as a king."

"We have arrived to our destination. Please prepare for landing." Spectra sounded just as confident as he was. This was the opportunity he has been waiting for a long time to get. There is no way he will let it slip away.

\---

"And we are here live from the former Palace, where the Vexos have just arrived with a wonderful message: They're back together and bring along 56 Palace servants and other people, who were presumed dead, but it turned out that they were only imprisoned by the now deceased king Zenoheld!

And here they are, our beloved governors! Lync Volan and Volt Luster, followed by Mylene Farrow and Shadow Prove! It's been a while since we've seen them all this unified. And... are my eyes deceiving me? It seems that their bonds have strengthened since the last time they were on Vestal! We can see Shadow and Mylene holding hands! Did they form a couple while they fought alongside of each other in the depths of space?

And finally, Spectra Phantom and Gus Grav! The bravest of all, who fought against Zenoheld and his Alternative Weapon System he wanted to destroy Vestal and all other civilised planets with! The ones who put aside their personal problems and differences and joined forces with the Bakugan Battle Brawlers Resistance! The ones who... are holding hands right now as well? How is that possible? They owe us a lot of explanations! Let's hear what they have to say."

Spectra was not nervous. He has been preparing for this speech for a long time. But the others were. He saw the camera right when he exited the ship. He took a deep breath and waited until the others made space for him and Gus.


	32. Announcement

"Citizens of Vestal, I am sure that everyone already knows who we are, be it in a good or in a bad way. However, I ensure you that in these hard times, we are stronger than ever and more than ready to make everything better. For our king has passed away. But should we mourn or celebrate? 

I have been administrating the Government Network System for years and I watched our planet, society and culture fall apart with my very own eyes. I could not do anything to prevent it, because the king would never listen to me. 

Now, the time has come to change the old ways. The six of us have a lot of new ideas, and are open to suggestions for more. All this time I have been collecting your ideas on GNS and created almost three hundred projects I would like to make reality. We also want to eliminate poverty, reform the education system, improve your everyday lives and expand to new planets, this time using diplomacy rather than force.

The decision is yours. You are the ones who will choose the new king. We may have done some mistakes in the past, but our one goal was always to make Vestal a better place. Now, you can give us the power to achieve our goal. Allow me to become your king and I will do whatever it takes to bring you prosperity." When Spectra finished, people seemed to be very excited. Spectra was always a convincing speaker, but he has outdone himself this time. Gus just wanted to kiss him and tell him how amazing he was, but that had to wait. Now, they were being approached by the broadcast team and the reporter was already preparing her questions. 

"Your return has caused a lot of controversy. Our point of view on you has changed many times from heroes to villains and vice versa while you were on New Vestroia and in space. We have received many questions from all over Vestal. Are you ready?" She asked and the Vexos nodded. "First, a question for Mylene: The Vexos have always had problems co-working with each other. Are you going to change that?"

"We have had our differences, but that is all in the past. We forgave each other and are willing to start over. I hate to admit it, but the humans taught us that we are always stronger when we work together. It was a painful lesson we will all remember. We want to work as a solid team, because we believe that together we will be able to see different aspects of every problem and therefore rule in a better way than a single person would," she explained.

"So yeah, we're all friends now," Shadow added.

"Thank you. Now, Volt, you are known for your work governing Alpha City. It was the best we have seen in a long time. Why aren't you running for the king?"

Volt sighed. "My goal was always to improve the situation of poor people. I never thought I would get this far. I liked to see that Spectra is open to my ideas and can work with them. I think he is the only one in our team who has everything that is necessary to be the king and I believe that he will make even my dream come true."

"Thank you. Lync, you are the youngest member. Do you think you have what it takes to be in the government?"

"What I went through in the past few years was an unforgettable experience. I have learned many things about life and I think I am ready to take the responsibility of being a governor. But I am aware of the fact that I still have a lot to learn and I would like to follow in my teammates' footsteps," Lync answered. 

"Okay. Mylene and Shadow, many people were curious: What is your relationship?" The reporter asked and Spectra sighed mentally. The serious part has come to an end, now, people want to get to know us better and have fun.

"We're in love, of course," Shadow laughed. Mylene looked at him, her face filled with a mix of shock, confusion and disbelief.

"We are what?" She said, maybe a bit too angrily. Shadow pulled back with a hurt expression.

"I thought..." He started quietly, but she interrupted him. 

"We'll talk later in private," She whispered and turned to the reporter. "We are not sure ourselves. We have known each other since we were children, so it's... complicated." She did not show any emotions when she spoke. 

"Let us know when you figure it out! Now then, Spectra, our mysterious potential king hidden behind the mask, are you willing to share some of your privacy with us?" Spectra was afraid now, but he was trying to keep his cool.

"Depends on what you want to know," he agreed.

"Why the mask? Why don't you want us to know who you are?"

Spectra was quite glad for a warm-up question like this.

"Because I do not want to hide behind my family name. I want to make a name for myself."

"So does that mean that you are against the family system of our society?"

"Yes. I think that no one should feel like being forced to do something because it is a tradition of their family. I consider it unfair and I want to change it."

"Well, talk about ambitious! And the Palace? Are you planning to rebuild it?"

"No. I will continue living on the Vestal Destroyer. People need all of this space more than I do. We could build new houses here, that would make this large area way more useful than having it here like a gigantic parking lot for the only spaceship we have."

"I think we all like the way you think. Anyway, while we're at the topic, if you become the king,..." Spectra hoped to get some serious question again, but was very disappointed. "...who will be your queen? Do you have someone in mind?" He felt all of intellect and confidence fade away, because he was definitely not ready for a question like that.

"M-my queen? Well..." His cheeks were burning. It was embarrassing to lose his cool like this. Gus brushed his thumb over their intertwined fingers reassuringly and that helped him regain his composure. "Elect me and you will see," he smirked finally. "I am sure you will consider my choice satisfactory."

"Why so secretive? Come on, Spectra, tell us!"

"I do not want to spoil the surprise for you."

While they were talking, the people they rescued from the Palace were reunited with their families and got new clothes and communication devices.

"What about you, Gus? Do you know how Spectra looks under the mask?" 

Instead of answering, Gus turned to Spectra. In that moment, Spectra was sure that the colour of his face matched his jacket, because Gus was just... so cute!

"You may answer her questions," he said barely above whisper. 

"I do," Gus admitted to the reporter. "Just like all the Vexos."

"Is he handsome?" The next question did not startle Gus, he basically saw something similar coming.

"Very," he answered without hesitation, which made Spectra even more flustered. 

"Last question, can people reach out to you on GNS in case they have more questions?"

"Of course," Gus answered because Spectra was pretty much out of business now. "If you ever need anything, contact any of us anytime, we will make sure to answer everything we can." Gus' finished everything with a kind smile. The people have rarely seen the Vexos smile before (Shadow aside), so this was a pleasant change for them.

\---

The Vexos retreated into the safety of their ship.

"Okay, you are all dismissed. Go to your rooms, have some food and sleep. Vestal Destroyer, I authorise these four to give you orders of priority level two," Spectra ordered. 

"Thanks," Lync nodded and headed to his room.

"Goodnight, everyone," Volt added. Mylene and Shadow nodded along and disappeared in their rooms. Spectra and Gus went into their own room. 

The moment the door clicked closed behind them, they fell into a hug.

"Master, you were so awesome!" Gus whispered into Spectra's ear. 

"No way, I totally messed up the interview," he sighed, tossing his mask on the table next to their bed.

"You did not," Gus said resolutely. "The speech was the best I have ever heard from you, and you were acting completely okay in that interview."

"It was not okay," Spectra let himself fall on the bed after throwing his jacket into the corner. "I totally lost my composure at the end there. It was a disaster." He was very frustrated from his supposed failure. Gus put both of their jackets in the wardrobe and laid down next to him.

"Master Spectra, listen to me. Your reactions were justified. I know how you feel about coming out with our relationship, and I also understand that it is hard to admit to the people that you were not as emotionless as they thought. But what you did was completely natural. Anyone would react that way in your situation." Gus spoke in a strong voice. He meant every word and he wanted Spectra to believe him.

"But I am not just anyone, Gus. I am the leader of the Vexos and the future king!" Spectra continued despairingly.

"That does not mean that you have to be perfect!" Gus opposed. "It is the opposite, actually. Like this, the people can see that you are honest and not pretending anything. It also brings you closer to them and they can feel connected to you in this aspect. That is the purpose of these questions in the interviews."

"You always know what to say, Gus," Spectra smiled.

"Only the truth, master." They shared a short kiss before falling asleep in each others' arms. 

\---

When Spectra woke up, the bed next to him was empty.

"Vestal Destroyer, where is he?" He asked, still half asleep.

"Who?" was the response of the AI.

"Gus," Spectra sighed.

"She," Vestal Destroyer emphasised, "is in the laboratory."

"How long was he... um, she there? Has she slept at all?"

"She has been there for approximately two point seven hours. She has slept well and enough to stay healthy."

Spectra sighed and got out of bed.

"Better go check on him."

"Yes, go check on HER."

\---

"Good morning, master," Gus turned around and smiled when he heard the door open.

"Good morning, Gus. What are you working on this early?"

"Whoever will be elected, the coronation is in ten days and I need to be done by then. The realisation of this project will take seven to nine days, so I have to have the planning done today evening," Gus explained.

"That answered my question only partially," Spectra opposed.

"It is a bit difficult," Gus sighed and handed Spectra a display. "This is a research by your mother. She has spent her entire life on it." Spectra looked at it with curiosity and decided to read it all, but right now, he hid not have his mask so it would take ages.

"What is it about?" He asked.

"About genders and their role in our society. She lists everything that makes one a man or a woman. It is amazing, because everything she writes there is true and everyone knows it, but writing down everything that is normally subconscious takes a lot of work. The most interesting part is at the end where she theorises that there are people who would on the mental side better fit into the opposite gender, but they do not realise it, because a possibility like that is unthinkable," Gus explained. There was one sentence he wanted to add, but he could not bring himself to do it. He was afraid of how master Spectra could react. 

"That sounds very... complicated. I am sure my mother had a reason to write this, but I cannot imagine how would that work in reality." Spectra scrolled through the data to the last chapter.

"I have read the entire research, master, and I think..." It was very hard to admit it out loud. He could not look into his master's eyes and lowered his head. "I am a living proof for her theory."

"What do you mean?" Spectra asked, confused.

"When I was in prison, everyone thought that I am a woman. I did not really mind, and later on I realised that I got used to it. It felt natural somehow. But when I read the text about women here, I found out that the way of thinking, the behaviour pattern, it all fits on me. And the opposite, I could barely find myself in any male characteristic," he said still staring at the floor.

"You are saying it as if it was a crime," Spectra noticed and walked closer to him. "Like I said earlier, Gus, I love you, man or woman, it does not matter," he smiled, lifting Gus' chin upwards. 

"I love you too, master, but..." Gus still could not smile. He still had an announcement to make. "I do not want to be a weird trans-gender person like this," he sighed and pulled away from Spectra. 

"It is not weird..." he wanted to oppose, but Gus was determined to finish his own sentence. 

"There is a way to change it and I am going for it." He moved another screen in front of Spectra, who recognised the pictured machine immediately. It was one of his first inventions, after all. The hairdresser. A machine able to change one's DNA in order to alter hairstyles and eye colours. But Gus apparently intended to use it for more than that. He pulled the last screen to himself. Project Switch. As he thought.

"Gus, that would be too dangerous," he started.

"I have already made up my mind, please, do not try to stop me," Gus said, still determined, but there were tears slowly gathering in his eyes.

"Stop you? I am never going to stop you from anything," Spectra went over to him and hugged him. "If this is what you want, I will not stand in your way. Just... please let me work with you and check everything. I want to make sure you will be safe," he said and Gus hugged him back.

"Thank you, master," Gus smiled finally.

"So, how exactly are you planning to pull this off?" Spectra asked and started reading through Gus' plans for the experiment. 

"Basically, I want to replace my chromosome Y with a duplicate of my chromosome X. After that, everything in my body should slowly change to match the DNA code. Just like I told Mira and the Vexos: Cut the income of male hormones and put female ones in."

"That is nice and all, but there is a mistake here," Spectra pointed into the plans. "This would stop your bloodstream and you would die."

"Really? Where?"


	33. Experiment

"Why did you say we are in love?" Mylene asked suddenly while still looking into the mirror and putting on make-up. Shadow was laying on their bed, already dressed and waiting for her to get ready, which, like every day, took hours.

"I thought we are," he answered, staring onto the ceiling.

"No, we are not," Mylene said, but it sounded more like a question than a statement. 

Shadow sat upright and looked directly into her eyes in the mirror. "I love you, Mylene," he stated, for once completely serious. 

She turned around disbelievingly, her make-up only halfway done. "You what?" She did not understand.

"I love you," Shadow repeated. 

She froze. Was that what she felt for him? Love? How? She thought she was incapable of such emotions. But it did make sense. Could it be? Is this what love is like? Her mind drifted to the only couple she knew: Spectra and Gus. They were always together, helping and supporting each other, working perfectly synchronised, holding hands, basically reading each other's thoughts and always happy to be at the other's side. That actually fits even for her and Shadow. But that was different. Or was it not? Does she really love Shadow?

"So you... don't love me?" He asked. He was hurt, she knew it.

"I... I don't know. I think... I think I do," she said quietly. She felt her cheeks go warm beneath the layer of white make-up. 

"I'm glad," he smiled. The difference between his usual smile and this warm one was so obvious, she could basically see the love he felt. "Um, so... I don't wanna push you or anything, but..." He was never good with words. "Can I..."

It took a few seconds for Mylene to comprehend the situation she was in and what he was meaning to say. "You want to...?"

He nodded. She did not know what to say. No? Maybe? Maybe yes? Sure? Definitely? Yes? She just continued to stare at him, mouth partially open. He stood up and walked over to her. Her body was frozen solid and she could not move. He leaned over to her. She felt his hot breath brush her face. And then, he placed his lips on top of hers. Only for a while, and then he pulled away. 

Mylene was confused. The amount of feelings swirling in her chest and filling her head was amazing. After a few seconds, it faded. She really enjoyed it and wanted to feel it again. And again. And never stop. Because it was the strongest and most beautiful thing she has ever felt. "Could you do it again?" She breathed barely above whisper.

He smiled and leaned in again, this time letting the connection last longer. She was breathless. When he pulled away, she chased after him, standing up to meet his lips once more. She could not have enough of this feeling. 

"I love you too, Shadow. I'm sorry it took me so long to realise it," she whispered against his lips.

"It was worth waiting for," he smiled and pulled away. "By the way, I'm glad you're not wearing your lipstick yet," he laughed and fell back-first onto the bed again. She felt the warmth creeping up her neck once more, so she turned around and grabbed her two-coloured lipstick, putting it on immediately. Like always, top lip black, bottom lip red. "I guess I'll have to get used to it, huh?" Shadow continued to mock her while she put the rest of her make-up on aggressively. 

\---

"Ugh, gross, we come to visit and you are doing that." Spectra and Gus were interrupted from kissing by a sudden visit of their three Bakugan partners in ball forms. 

"Good morning, masters," Vulcan greeted properly and Elico nodded along.

"Good morning," Gus smiled, slightly embarrassed.

"We need to talk," Helios said. 

"Is there a problem?" Spectra asked, his blush fading away. 

"Kinda. See, now that there is peace, and you're the king and Queen of it, will you still need us?" Elico explained.

"Our opinions on future differ a little," Vulcan said. "I would prefer not to brawl anymore. I will always be at your service, master Gus, but I just want to live here at peace."

"We can agree on that, Vulcan," Gus nodded. "I would like to stop with brawling as well."

"Yes, that's nice, but we don't," Helios protested. "We want to get stronger."

"And we want you to continue experimenting on us. You get valuable knowledge and we get stronger, it's a win on both sides. We don't want to lose it," Elico added.

"I see," Spectra nodded. "I admit that, mistakes aside, I really enjoy making you stronger."

"So do I," Gus agreed.

"If that is what you wish, we will continue our work on you. Also, you have full authorisation to use the transporter, so feel free to travel to New Vestroia any time to test your new powers in real life," Spectra decided.

"As for the two of us," Gus took his gloves off and gave them to Vulcan. "We are quitting, hopefully for good. We will only brawl when Vestal is in danger."

\---

"Are you sure you want to do this, Gus?" Spectra asked.

"Master, you have been asking me this question since yesterday morning. My answer has not changed," Gus sighed. They were doing last check of the plans before executing the experiment. 

"You know it could be painful, right?" 

"I do. That is why I do not want you to see it."

"What do you mean? You did not say that before!"

"I want to spend the time I will be going through the changes somewhere where you will not see me. It will be better for both of us."

"But..." Spectra resigned. "You are right. But under one condition: You will be supervised by a scientist. In case something went wrong." 

"Nothing will go wrong, master, but if it makes you calmer, I will do it. I even have an idea who could this scientist be. Just let me check something." Before Spectra could say anything, Gus left the lab and moved to the main hall. 

He pulled out his communication device and called a certain person. He knew it was a bit weird, but he hoped that they would agree.

"Gus?" She answered, clearly surprised. "What happened? Is something wrong with my brother?"

Gus smiled. "No, master Spectra is fine." He could see her relief. "I am calling you because of a personal request." Now, she was curious. "I want to ask you for a favour."

"Anything for my future sister-in-law," Mira smiled too.

"Remember how I told you about the thing that turned me into a man? Well, I am going to take it out today. The process of me going to normal is going to take approximately nine days," he explained.

"Right in time for your coronation then," Mira laughed.

"My coronation?"

"Of course, you'll be the queen, right?"

"I didn't think about that..."

"Anyway, what was it that you needed from me?"

"Right. The thing is that the change is probably going to be slow and painful and I don't want master Spectra to see me like that. I wanted to go somewhere, but he wants me to be under scientific supervision."

"That sounds interesting. Besides, you'll need someone to teach you to be a girl not just in body, but also in mind," she turned away from her device. "Ace? Do you mind having Gus over until the coronation? We want to prepare a little surprise for Keith," she shouted.

"Girls," Gus heard Ace sigh. "I don't mind, do whatever you want."

"That's gonna be so much fun!" Mira cheered.

"Maybe on your side," Gus sighed.

"Gus, this is your Girl Rule number one: Even if you're hurting, pretend it's nothing, forget about it and have fun."

"That is so cruel," Gus gasped and Mira responded with a secretive smile.

"Just remember it for now. You will find out the true meaning later. Besides, you said that it might hurt, not that it will hurt. Well then, see you in the afternoon!"

"Uh.. okay? Thanks a lot for helping me out."

"No problem!" With that, she ended the call. He was very confused from this dialogue, but he had a feeling he should remember what Mira said. He opened Mrs. Miriam's research and added a new chapter: Girl Rules by Mira Fermin and Gus Grav. Then, he typed in the rule Mira told him. No matter how many times he thought about it, he did not understand what it means.

\---

"I am going to be with Mira during the process," he announced after returning to the lab. 

"Mi-" Spectra stopped mid-word. "Okay, you may go," he nodded, came closer to Gus and grabbed his shoulders. "But come back to me in one piece." Gus smiled.

"I will, master, I promise." 

"Fine. Everything is ready, just go to the infirmary and connect to the machine. See you at the coronation?"

Gus kissed Spectra, deeply and slowly.

"See you there," he smiled and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapters will be mostly about Gus exploring what it means to be a girl. It will probably be a bit philosophical. Anyway, I wanted to ask you: Are there any aspects of being female (be it a teenager or young adult) that you want to be addressed specifically? Please, comment them all below, I will make sure to incorporate them into the story.


	34. Explore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, make sure to read the end notes, I have an important question regarding the story.

\- Revision: What have we already found out about Vestal society?  
\--Love  
\--Time  
\--Who rules where  
\--Weather  
\--Age  
\--Food  
\--School and work  
\--Internet  
\--Hairstyles and eye colours  
\--Hygiene  
\--A  
\--Survival  
\--Questions  
\--Throne

\- What will we learn today? Clothes.  
\--Every vestal has a everyday uniform. These are simple, white or black pants, black boots and a colourful shirt. They can design it themselves in their communication devices and can get a new uniform for free from the government whenever they need one. There are more options for creative and original design for people with higher education and from more prestigious families. The Vexos can have the most complex uniforms.

Some vestals also have work uniforms, for example scientists have only a white lab coat, while Palace servants have a full set of clothes. 

Vestals can also buy clothes, but only richer people can afford it and wear them only for special occasions. One of those occasions is the coronation of a new king. Only people from the most famous families can access it, others just watch on GNS. Women usually wear dresses (knee-length at most, which is different from humans) and men wear formal suits (that actually resemble the human ones a lot).

\---

When Gus woke up after the change in his DNA has been made, he did not feel any different. 'She did not feel any different,' he corrected himself. He is a 'she' now.

She looked at her body, which has not yet changed at all, but her eyes landed on her clothes. Her uniform was completely unfit to be worn by a woman. She stood up and headed to the servants rooms, hoping that she could find some standard vestal clothes. She did. She changed into white pants, black boots and an orange top with long sleeves. She also tied her hair into a low ponytail. She did not want to attract too much attention. She took her gauntlet and communication device and teleported from the main hall right in front of Ace's house.

The door suddenly opened.

"Welcome, Gus, come in," Mira led her inside immediately.

"Hi. Thanks for helping me again," Gus smiled.

"It's nothing. Could you show me the plans, please?" Mira asked. Gus took out her gauntlet and showed her. She expected this to happen, because every scientist wants to see the plan before taking part in a project, so she hid the parts about DNA change and transgender people before. Mira read through all the changes that are supposed to happen, and created a short to-do list with checking boxes in her communication device. Then, she noticed Mrs. Miriam's research. "What is this?" She asked and Gus sighed. It was very unpleasant to tell a story like that twice.

"It is a research by your mother. She gave it to me shortly before she passed away," she explained.

"You met my mother?" Mira asked, surprised and curious. 

"Yes, in the Palace prison. She was put in there shortly after you were born."

"What kind of person was she?" 

"She looked just like you, only older. She was very kind, caring and when she looked at you, you got the feeling that she can see right on the bottom of your soul. She just knew everything about you after one look. She cared for everyone, even for people whom she just met. She would do anything to save her beloved ones," Gus smiled at the memory.

"I see. Anyway, let's get back to business. Before you start changing, I want to teach you some necessary skills a girl should have," she explained, but Gus was still confused. "Lesson number one: Smalltalk or chit-chat," Mira introduced. "You have to be able to talk to anyone about anything. Find out anything you have in common and talk about it. It is useful at work, at social gatherings or anywhere else where you have to be polite and chat with someone," she explained. Gus knew what she meant, but she did not consider it a skill. More like a talent. "So, the two of us barely know each other, so you can try it with me. Come on, let's sit down and you ask me a question."

They sat down and Gus noted this information into her gauntlet.

She thought about her task for a while before coming up with a question. 

"Are you already working? You said you did not have a workplace back then." When Mira heard the question, she gave her a thumbs-up sign. This was apparently a good one.

"Well, that was a bit exaggerated. I did have a workplace in a small lab that researched crops before going to the Resistance, but I was afraid I lost that place when I left. And I did. But I applied for a position in the Bakugan research center and got accepted. I honestly think it was only because of my family name, but as long as I have a workplace, an income and a chance to prove myself as a scientist, I don't mind. I am no longer hidden in Keith's shadow," she smiled. "Anyway, how is my brother doing?"

"As far as I know him, I am pretty sure that right now, he is extremely bored and desperately searching for something to make himself busy," Gus laughed.

"Is he nervous?" Mira asked.

"Quite a lot. I am too, to be honest. It is something we have been working on for years," Gus nodded.

"You've got it all planned, then?"

"Of course! And as far as you can see," Gus opened the temporary results of the elections where every vote given so far was in Spectra's favour, "everything is going according to the plan." Gus was really proud, both of her master and of herself. With every day, their dreams were becoming reality.

"I still can't believe that it's my brother standing up there under Spectra's mask. You made him who he is today, you know?" Suddenly, the mood sank into something deep. But Gus did not mind, she was just confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Imagine him becoming the king before you two got together. He was completely emotionless. I had no idea who Spectra was, but when he fell for you, I started to recognise him. You reminded him of what emotions are. This is another proof that despite your body, you're a woman. You see, every woman has the power to make the one she loves kind and beautiful*," Mira explained.

"I guess," Gus agreed. Suddenly, Mira reminded her of Mrs. Miriam so much, she had no idea why did she not notice sooner. "Can I have a question? Why did you take me in like this? I mean, we have never had a good relationship, well, we never really had any relationship, and you seemed to even be looking forward to this," she asked. 

"Girl Rule number two: Every girl needs a BFF who is also a girl, so that they can do girl stuff together. You know, hanging out, shopping, talking about make-up and boys and so on. I never had a friend like that, but I never realised until I saw Runo and Julie together. But there are no girls my age who would want to be friends with me, so I thought..." Mira did not finish the sentence, making it sound like a question.

"I would like that. I never had any friends either. It will be fun to do all of this girl stuff together, even though you will have to teach it to me first. But... you do realise that I am definitely not a girl your age, right? We are twelve years apart," Gus laughed. 

"That much? So you're... sixty nine?"

"Yes."

"I thought you were younger. Besides, you are going through puberty right now, so I am going to continue to see you as a girl my age," Mira waved the fact off.

"I do not know if I should feel flattered or offended by that."

"Just take it as a compliment."

\---

"Vestal Destroyer, I am bored," Spectra groaned, sitting on his chair in the main hall. 

"I am aware of that fact, master. You might have mentioned it like five times in the past hour," the AI responded with her monotone voice.

"What does he think he is? Leaving me alone like that," he whined.

"SHE apparently thinks she is a girl, and needs some time for herself to figure everything out. She hopes that changing her gender will make her stronger. Strong enough to match you," she explained, suddenly with intonation and sounding way more personal than before.

"And since when are you an expert on our psychology?" He asked, surprised and confused by the sudden change.

"I am not, I asked her and this is what she said," she answered. Spectra realised something.

"You said that changing her gender will make her stronger, right?" He checked. He had an idea.

"Yes, that is what I said."

"Give me a screen, I want to post on GNS. Also, connect me with the hangar."

A screen and a virtual keyboard appeared in front of him immediately, an extension of his communication device, which was synchronised with the ship. He quickly typed in and posted a poll: [What do you think is the strongest attribute? Why?]

"What is it, Spectra?" Helios answered the call.

"Helios, Elico, how would you feel about a permanent change of attribute?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *A quotation by František Hrubín, a poet I learned about in class while writing this and I think it fits the story, so I used it.
> 
> \---
> 
> The second half of this story (from Zenoheld's death onwards) does not have a villain (Mag Mel does not count). It is peaceful, but maybe a bit boring. So either I let Spectra and Gus live a quiet life and reform Vestal to their own image, or I will give them an opponent. So the question is:
> 
> Should I bring Hydron back into the game? If so, should he get a redemption eventually?
> 
> I think that he could have survived the explosion of the Alternative. I also consider him a wasted character, because he was great and everything evil he did was not really his fault.
> 
> So what do you think? Do you want to see Hydron again?
> 
> VD


	35. --Announcement--

You guys pointed out to me in the comments that I completely ignored the other Vexos member in the story. It had been on my mind a lot. I tried to make up for it, but I got a writer's block. 

I read this entire story from the very beginning and realised that it is really bad. It feels more like a rough draft than an actual story, there are plot holes and the writing is just terrible in general.

I wanted to create a solid and believable headcanon, but trying to build it on the two main characters was a mistake. My story turned out to be exactly like everything I wrote before: The idea is nice, but the execution is lacking. So I tried to rewrite it. So far, I finished chapters 1, 2 and 3. And it works. I added many scenes, explained everything more thoroughly and wrote something from Mira's and Lync's point of view. I will try to do Mylene, Shadow, Volt and maybe even Hydron, Zenoheld and Clay soon. 

The thing is: I am going to stop writing new chapters for a while, until I rewrite the entire story. I think it will be worth the time and effort once it is finished. 

The first three chapters are online and the others will follow soon. Please, read them and tell me what you think.

Thanks for your continued support!

VD


End file.
